Squicciarini the top dog at Race for the Paws

To benefit Humane Animal Partners, a large field of 420 turned out Aug. 2, for the 17th annual Race for the Paws 5K. The Dewey Beach Lions Club was the host of the event, while the Seashore Striders produced the event.

“This event has become such a great community event, and we have a blast being a part of it each year,” said Leigh McKinley of HAP. “It’s such a fun event.”  

In May 2022, Humane Animal Partners hosted a bill signing where then-Gov. John Carney made the rescue dog the official state dog of Delaware.

Plenty of dogs participated in the one-mile walk Aug. 2, but the top dog of the day was 22-year-old Daniel Squicciarini of Flemington, N.J., who breezed through the course in 17:03 to win the male overall championship. Mike Wardian, 51, of Rehoboth Beach was second in 17:21 to win the male masters title, while 40-year-old Andy Gorlich of Milton was third in 17:46 to win the 40-44 division.   

Olivia Montini, 20, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., captured the female overall title in 19:36, while 31-year-old Anna Bosse ran 20:06 for second place. Emma Etters, 14, of Altoona, Pa., rounded out the top three with a time of 20:19. Mardiny Ung of Elizabethtown, Pa., won the female masters title in 23:45.

Every year, Humane Animal Partners, a no-kill, nonprofit animal welfare organization, finds homes for thousands of dogs and cats. Go to humaneanimalpartners.org to learn how to adopt, volunteer, donate, foster and more.

800 meters

The 800 meters is the metric half-mile in the world of track & field. It’s also one of the hardest events on the track. Some call it a long sprint where you race it like a 400 and hang on. Cape Henlopen has had several athletes under the 2-minute barrier, with one of the all-time best races being the late Danny Harmon versus Bruce Harris of Dover at the Henlopen Conference finals in 1984. Bruce ran 1:52 that day, while Danny ran an impressive 1:55, which may still be the fastest second-place time in the conference meet. Bruce went on to set the state record of 1:49, which stood nearly 40 years and has just recently been broken.

At the U.S. Championships this week, the final of the 800 meters will be remembered as one of the best all-time track races in history. Going into the meet, the current high school national record for the 800-meter run is 1:46.26, set by Cooper Lutkenhaus of Justin Northwest High School in Texas. He achieved this time at the Brooks PR Invitational in June 2025, surpassing the previous record held by Michael Granville since 1996. 

At the U.S. Championships this year, Lutkenhaus ran 1:45 in the trials to earn a spot in the final and lower the record again. In an amazing final, Lutkenhaus raced some of the best in the world in Donavan Braizier (Nike) and Bryce Hoppel (Adidas). With 200 meters to go, Lutkenhaus looked out of the race back in sixth place. With a final 100 meters faster than anyone in the field, Lutkenhaus kicked his way on the outside to finish second, earning a spot on Team USA for the 2025 World Championships with a time of 1:42.27, a new world U18 record. 

Remembering Mags

The Maggie’s Mile is held in memory of Maggie Browne, a Cape student-athlete who was on my track & field team at Beacon Middle and Cape Henlopen, who was taken from us too soon.  Each year during Senior Awards Night, the Maggie Browne Scholarship is presented. The Maggie’s Mile is broken up into nine championships, from the 9U Lil Mags to the Ultra Grand Masters for 60+, along with a walk and an Elite Championship. There’s something for everyone at the Maggie’s Mile, which begins at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8, at Cape’s Legends Stadium.

RBP 5K & Fire Fightin’ 5K

Two of the most important organizations that call Rehoboth Beach their home will host back-to-back 5K events in the Nation’s Summer Capital of Rehoboth Beach. The inaugural Rehoboth Beach Patrol 5K will leave Rehoboth Avenue at the Boardwalk at 7 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 10, while the 17th annual Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company Fire Fightin’ 5K will begin at Station 86 at 8 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 17. Register for each event by going to seashorestriders.com.  Those runners who cannot get enough runner’s high can race the RBP 5K at 7 a.m. and still make it to another 5K beginning at 8 a.m. hosted by Mission BBQ and produced by Races2Run.

All-10 Team

The following 20 runners have completed all 10 of the Seashore Striders Championship Series events this summer: Amberlie Rice, Amy Kuhlman, Breck Vanderwende, Cathy Haut, Cheryl Justison, Jim Marvin, John Blackford, John Dowling, John Walters, Jose Lukecart, Karen Eller, Marian Dowling, Mary Kessler, Michael Mitchell, Nancy Brooks, Peter Tracey, Robbin Wells, Tabitha Palkewicz, Teddy Bohmer and Teri Moore.

The series awards will be presented following the Last Blast Prediction 5K Saturday, Aug. 30.