Enos Benbow wins 36th Gary P. Lister Bottle & Cork 10-Miler

The 36th Annual Gary P Lister Bottle & Cork 10-Mile Run and 5K Run/Walk took place Sept. 8 in Dewey Beach. One of Delaware's oldest road races, the 10-mile course starts in Dewey Beach and heads to Rehoboth and Henlopen Acres before returning down the Rehoboth Boardwalk and back to Dewey Beach, finishing at the Bottle & Cork.

Saturday morning's weather began with a huge downpour and thunderstorm, which cleared by the time the race started at 8 a.m. The heat and high humidity resulted in many runners saying their times were much slower than expected. This was the last race in the Seven Sisters and Two Brothers Run/Walk series 2012. About 50 runners were completing the 10-mile race as part of the Seven Sisters' prize package. For some, it was the first time they ran 10 miles.

Proceeds from the event benefit Beebe Medical Center. Gary P. Lister's sister Maggie was the honorary starter for the 10-mile race. Gary P. Lister was a teacher who had worked at the Bottle & Cork. Gary passed away 10 years ago and the race is run in his memory.

Enos Benbow from Georgetown won the 10-mile event in a time of 1:00:30, running a 6:03 pace.The male masters winner was Tim Schuler from Chambersburg, Pa. His time was 1:05:23.

The female winner was Brooke Magni from Lancaster, Pa., in a time of 1:09:30. Female masters winner was Mary Beth Evans from Rehoboth in a time of 1:15:53. No course records were set in the race, partly the result of the heat index.

The Bottle & Cork 5K was won by Patrick Boettcher from Newark, a past winner of many of the Seven Sisters of Dewey Beach races. His time was 17:11. Male masters winner Steve Koch from Reading, Pa., recorded 18:15.  Koch is a past winner of the Bottle & Cork 10-mile race. The female 5K winner was Lisa Jalot of Wilmington in a time of 21:38. She is well known for her pump-and-run performance. Female masters winner Eleanor Gitney from Chesapeake City, Md., ran 22:34.

Six hundred fifty-five runners registered and were treated to a post-race party at the Bottle & Cork. Complete race results can be found on Races2run.com.