Mike Wardian wins Beebe Heroes 5K in sandals

Ultra marathoner Mike Wardian of Dewey Beach toed the starting line with his Teva Aventrails sandals June 27 at the Beebe Heroes 5K in Lewes. He easily won the overall male title in 17:16. Wardian ran 100 miles last weekend in Dewey Beach. He did 100 1-mile segments. 

Milton’s Andy Gorlich finished second in 18:25 and won the male masters division for the first time at a Seashore Striders event. Matt Sparacino, the Harrington Harrier, was third in 18:33. Ryan Baker of Lewes grabbed fourth place in 19:53, while Nick Petito of Rehoboth was fifth overall in 19:58.

Olivia Montini was 11th to win the female title, 10 seconds behind dad Paul, which rarely happens anymore, in 20:41. Melissa Wiley of Ocean City, Md., was second in 21:42, while Jamie Hicks of Milford ran 23:29 for third and the female masters title. Lisa Sherman of Washington, D.C., ran 23:41 for fourth place, while Teri Welsh of Maryland ran 23:59 to round out the top five female runners.

One of the few events that hosts a 5K walk, the race had a good number of participants. Rick Day of Milton crossed the line in 37:58 to capture the championship, while Don Zalenski of Magnolia was second in 39:46. Tom Jones of Milton was third in 52:56, while Jim Mullins of Lewes was fourth in 53:42. Khalil Saliba of Lewes wrapped up the male walkers in 54:15.

Amy Zook of Magnolia won the female 5K walk in 40:15, while Lauri Yanacek of Milford was second in 42:39. Stephanie Fung of Rehoboth was third in 43:34, while Molly Sewell of Lewes was fourth also in 43:44. Suzanne Bigos of Lewes rounded out the female walkers in 44:48.

There were 16 states represented in the race. The largest age group was 50-64 with 84 participants. 

Brennan Lynch is from Washington, D.C. She’s married with children, and is a former Lewes gal who was formerly Brennan Killeen. Daughter of Debbie and the late Dr. Vinnie Killeen, Brennan competed for the Seashore Striders in the mid- to late ’90s and was a part of the third-place national cross country finalist team competing in Orlando, Fla. It is still the highest team place the club has ever had. Girls in the 9-10 age group that were on the team include Chelsea Palmer, Bethany Pavlik, Laura Olenderski, Brennan Killeen, Sarah Neff and Helena Melendez. Brennan finished second in the 35-39 age group at the Beebe Heroes 5K in 25:18, while her hubby, Francis, ran 21:44 to win his age group.

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