Eddie Houck, Kennedy Johnson awarded Bill Degnan scholarship
The 27th annual Bill Degnan 5K brought 130 runners and walkers to Cape Henlopen High School, where the late coach Bill Degnan won a Division I State Track & Field Championship in 1986. Bill was a popular teacher and coach in the Cape Henlopen School District as well as the Woodbridge School District, where he spent many years before heading east to the beach. For the last 27 years, a small committee has voted on a male and female student-athlete to receive a scholarship in his name. This year, the winners were another quality pair in Eddie Houck and Kennedy Johnson. Houck was a force in Delaware in the pole vault where he jumped just under 15 feet. Johnson was a long sprinter specializing in the 400 meters as well as relays and the long jump.
At Sunday’s race, Andrew Saelens of Alexandria, Va., took the lead heading out of Legends Stadium. He easily pulled away for the win in 17:50.2. Jason Baker of Lewes showed his speed on the track as he caught teammate Riley Stazzone to finish second in 18:33.4. Stazzone hung on for third place in 18:36.4, while Ryan Baker of Lewes was fourth in 18:51.3. Martin Rodriguez rounded out the top five in a time of 19:06.8. Olivia Montini, a college runner at Swarthmore, easily won the female overall title in 19:27.3, while Lisa Sherman of Washington, D.C., won the female masters title in 22:25.7.
It was three-for-three for the Leps family of Lewes, as dad Stephen finished 12th to win the 45-49 division in 20:52, son Whit finished 24th to win the 10-13 age group in 24:05 and daughter Ruby finished 32nd to win the 9-and-under age group in 24:48.
The crowd cheered loudly as 85-year-old Jack Noel finished in just under an hour and looked as if he did not break a sweat.
Triathlon season
Jake Bamforth, a Sussex Tech graduate from Lewes, competed in the Ironman Boulder Triathlon June 8, on one of the most difficult courses on the ironman circuit. Jake competed in the pro division with 70 other athletes from around the world. A 1.2-mile swim of 26:24 put Jake in the top 30, and he followed with a tough, hilly, 56-mile bike with speeds of 30-plus mph for a time of 2:09:01 as he finished in 44th. The final phase was a half-marathon run, where he ran 1:32:27 and hit the line in 4:11:14 for 58th overall. His former teammate at Colorado State University and housemate in Fort Collins, Ben Randall, finished 23rd overall for his debut at the distance in a time of 3:56:36. More impressive were Randall’s bike of 2:04:00 and his run of 1:11:52. Only the second-place finisher in the race, a popular pro, ran faster than Randall’s split, which opened quite a few eyes in the race. Randall’s next triathlon is undecided at this point, while Bamforth will compete in this year’s Ironman Lake Placid in July.
Triple crown
It’s Triple Crown time for the Seashore Striders, as there will be three races in three towns this weekend. The Georgetown Library 5K will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., Friday, June 14, at Georgetown Public Library, 123 W. Pine St. The inaugural Rock ‘N Roll Run 5K will take place at 8 a.m., Saturday, June 15, at Hudson Fields off Route 1 near Milton. The final race will be the 34th Fathers Day 5K, which is hosted by Zoggs at Wilmington Avenue and the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach. Runners and walkers who complete all three events will receive extra swag at the 20th Jungle Jim’s 5K, set for Saturday, June 22. Good luck to all!
