Dave Reynolds Biathlon features fierce female race
The 28th version of the Dave Reynolds Biathlon was held July 1 on the boards and beach off Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach. Both defending champions, Alexander Geiersbach of Middletown and Joanna Baird of Lutherville-Timonium, Md., were in the field, and both ended up in the runner-up spots, as the event crowned two first-time champions in the half-mile swim and 5K run.
A total of 257 athletes entered the event, and it was Dover High graduate Sean Saxton who used his running background to split 16:53 and hit the tape at 29:45 for his first overall win. Saxton finished third in 2017 in a time of 30:08 and 22nd in 2016 in 37:46, but it was his strategy to stay within striking distance in the swim and then let his legs do their thing. That is exactly what developed as he caught defending champ Geiersbach toward the end of the run and brought his first title home to hundreds of cheering spectators at the finish line.
Baird, a former Rehoboth Beach Patrol guard, won her first title back in 2013 at the age of 20 when she hit the finish in 33:54. In 2014, she turned in her best all-time performance of 30:18 to easily dominate the field, while in 2015 she finished in 32:14 at age 22. In 2016, Baird again won the title, in 33:52, while last year in 2017 she turned in another impressive performance of 32:46 for her sixth title in a row. There are not a lot of athletes with the combination of being a champion swimmer and a champion runner, and Baird has been the impressive exception for the past six years. This year was no different for Baird, as she turned in her second-best time ever, but unfortunately ran into an athlete a few years younger with a very similar background. Gabi Broschard out of Hershey, Pa., a senior running for Purdue University, showed up on the starting line.
Gabi came out of high school as a four-year letter winner in cross country, swimming, and track and field, and she held the 200 medley state record in swimming two years in a row. Gabi ran 11:04 in the 3,200 meters and had the fastest time in Pennsylvania in the 2K Steeplechase while in high school. She was also a AAA swimming state champion in 2011, 2012 and 2014, and being a well-rounded student, she was a National Honor Society vice president.
Gabi went on to Purdue and has personal records of 5:01 in the mile, 10:26 in the 3K steeple and 17:44 in the 5K. This past spring season, Gabi finished 13th in the 3K steeplechase at the Big Ten Championships.
Fast forward to 2018 and the 28th annual Dave Reynolds Biathlon, and Baird and Broschard stand side-by-side on the starting line on Norfolk Street, as two of the top athletes ever to be in the same race in the same year. Add former steeplechase All-American Emily Ritter out of Millsboro, graduate of Sussex Tech and Rider University, and we have one of the best all-time races in Rehoboth Beach.
“This should be a good one,” said Capt. Kent Buckson, who had a staff of 15 keeping the swimmers safe in the water. “With Joanna in the field, the race is usually over at the command ‘go,’” he joked.
It was no surprise that Baird led out of the water with a swim and transition of 12:28, putting her just under a minute up on Broschard, who had a split of 13:23. Ritter, a rookie Rehoboth Beach Patrol member, split in 13:56.
All three female athletes were within 90 seconds of each other, and it became a question of who had the best running background and who could get their legs back after the swim.
“I knew I had to stay close in the swim, and I was a bit too far back,” said Ritter.
Broschard went to work in the 5K run and caught defending champ Baird late in the race to hold her off for a six-second margin of victory with a time of 32:01. Broschard split an impressive 18:38, while Baird finished second in a time of 32:07 with her 19:40 split. Ritter had the second-fastest run of 19:08 and finished third, closing a bit in a time of 33:03. It was the first time in the history of the race that three female runners were in the top 11 overall.
Other notable performances are as follows: Harry Nothacker completed his 28th straight biathlon and sported his inaugural T-shirt at the awards ceremony. Local Margaret Colvin had another top 10 finish in 39:44 and won the 55-59 age group. Jeff Bixler won another clydesdale title in 41:43, while Laura Marvin won the filly division in 47:04. One of the more competitive age groups was the male 55-59 group, where Carlton Conant grabbed the title in 38:23, while local Rick Brokaw was second in 41:05 and local Bruce Clayton was third in 41:09. Race results can be found at seashorestriders.com.
2018 Tri-Bi-Tri Challenge
The Seashore Striders dipped into the multisport world in 2018, adding to their already popular Dave Reynolds swim/run biathlon in its 28th year. The Striders purchased the Cape Triathlon that hosted just over 100 athletes in early June, and they also will partner with Race Director Ava Cannon and her Dewey Beach Triathlon in September to manage and time that local event. With the three events the Striders are involved with now, it was only fitting to add a promotional piece and create a series challenge for the athletes who complete all three events. I called it the Tri-Bi-Tri Challenge and looking at the results of the first two events, the 21 athletes listed here have completed the first two legs of the challenge. They are:
Dane Burkholder, Deanna Carmean, Jim Elder, Katherine Elder, Mary Beth Evans, Elizabeth Gerritt, Tricia Gilson, Luann Goldfarb, Mandy Hudson, Colleen Kennedy, Amy Linzey, Douglas Lynn, Laura Marvin, Mike Puopolo, Emily Ritter, Darin Slade, Linda Stanley, Jay Talbott, Betsy Tootell, Brian Young and Tony Zeccola.
Congratulations to all, and I hope all 21 are signed up for the September Dewey Tri. Go to seashorestriders.com or deweybeachtri.com to get registered.
From sunny Tampa, column No. 1,200 in a row is in the books ... over and out!
