Locals compete in Patapsco Valley 50K

Congratulations to the CrossFit team of Magda Barbosa, Kathy Kay, Terra Eby, Jason Langley, and Meghan Catts for competing in the Patapsco Valley 50K, an ultra-marathon on the trails of Patapsco Valley State Park Avalon Area in Baltimore. Also competing was Luanne Goldfarb, who was a team of her own. The race features plenty of scenic, natural-surface, single-track trails with a few short sections on paved bike trail. The terrain is challenging but runnable with rolling hills throughout. The course has a handful of small creek crossings and can often be muddy in many places.

The course highlights include Cascade Falls, the ruins of the Orange Grove Flour Mill and the Avalon Nail and Iron Works ruins. Not to mention gorgeous views of the Patapsco River throughout. Results are impossible to find on some endurance events, and I am not sure why. But I do want to give a shout out to the locals who I know participated.     

Regional Championships

The Seashore Striders will team with the Ambler Olympic Club to host the Eastern Regional Cross Country Championships this Sunday in Newtown, Pa. Ten races will be held, from the 5-and-under mighty mites to the 13-14 youth division on courses ranging from 1K for the youngest runners to 4K for the oldest. Awards will be presented to the top 20 in each race, with the top 20 in each single age group qualifying for the national championships to be held in Indiana Saturday, Nov. 23. It will be the 29th regional championship for the Seashore Striders, which will take part with 27 athletes. Good luck to the purple and yellow!

Mariner XC

The Mariner cross country teams split a dual meet with host Fifer Oct. 28, with the shorthanded girls triumphing 22-33 and the boys falling 20-39.

Mariner sixth-grader Brooke Terhune took top honors in the girls’ race, running 13:59 for 2.01 miles at Brecknock Park. She won by more than a minute. Sara Dawson delivered a personal best to take second overall in 15:00, while Olivia Burkentine ran a strong 15:05 for fourth. Also scoring varsity points for the girls were Lillian Fisher (sixth, 16:29), Liv Longo (ninth, 17:06), Dylenn Enright (12th, 17:52), and Gabriela Majjul (13th, 17:53).

The boys got a big personal best from Jia Han Xie in third (13:10), while Jackson Isaacs (fifth, 13:24), Jay’Lier Long (ninth, 13:48), and Jeremiah Hayes (12th, 14:13) also shattered their personal bests. Merric Mumford (10th, 14:05), Connor Pencek (19th, 15:12), and Brayden Redd (21st, 15:21) tallied varsity points for Mariner. The girls improved to 8-0 on the season and have won 20 straight dual meets since 2017, while the boys fell to 5-3.

Middle school invitational 

The middle school version of the Downstate Delaware State Championships was held at Browns Branch County Park Oct. 30 with Beacon and Mariner both taking part in the meet.

Trent Kauffman was the top Beacon boy to finish, as he took third place in 13:02. Eddie Houck was seventh in 13:24 and Kaden Cherico was 13th in 13:44. Jia Han Xie placed 16th in 13:45 for the Mariner boys, while Jackson Isaacs was 26th in 14:03.

Mariner’s Brooke Terhune was the first sixth-grade girl to finish, placing seventh in 14:33. Ali Stevenson was 25th in 15:35 and Olivia Burkentine was 36th in 16:00 for Mariner. The Mariner girls were sixth overall.  

Lindsey Fernandez led Beacon with a 21st-place finish in 15:18 for the 2.1-mile course. Darcy Crotty ran 16:44 for 56th, while Mia Yngve turned in a 17:04 for 67th and Sophia Massaro was 68th in 17:05.

Katya Geyer was 16th for Sussex Academy in 14:46, while Hunter Megonigal was 18th on the boys’ side in 13:50. 

The Beacon boys finished second out of 18 teams with 93 points, while the Beacon girls were eighth.

“Both boys and girls ran their best race of the season,” said Beacon coach Paul Ecker. “They went out hard and did what they had to do. Very gutsy race to go out hard and hold on.”

“The kids had a great season and put the work in, and it showed as they were constantly supporting each other as a team,” said Beacon assistant coach Michelle Gillen.

Sea Witch celebrates 30 years

The Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic celebrated 30 years Oct. 27, as 385 runners registered and 303 runners showed up to race in the pouring rain. The Seashore Striders held its annual bake sale while the race was in session, and runners visited and chatted with the young team members during the post-race celebration. Ryun Anderson of Burtonsville, Md., blazed the course in 16:06 for the win, while Martin Rodriguez was second in 18:13. Ben Miller of Bethesda, Md., won the male masters in 19:12. Lisa Chilcote of Rockville, Md., won the female race in 22:30, while Meghan Dirito of Glen Rock, Pa., was second in 22:31. Elizabeth Bonagura of Ephrata, Pa., won the female masters in 24:21.  

Mike Kirchner of Baltimore won the clydesdale division in 22:14, while Molly Serfass of Selbyville won the filly division in 29:32. Siena Krick won the 1-mile fright walk in 14:46.

Sea Witch flashback - At the 1993 fourth annual event, it was Leslie Wright winning the overall male title in 15:49, while 12-year-old Megan Zelensky out of Virginia won the female title in 21:16.