Fast friends on the running scene looking toward Rehoboth Marathon

Cinco de Marathon - Five amigos drawn to the sport of running one person at a time have made a positive impact on the local running community. The Delaware Hospice 5K at Milford June 28 saw all five finish in the top 12, led by Francisco Puac in 18:21 and Moiber Rivera in 18:43 followed by Marvin Herrera in 19:00, Jose Rojas in 20:41 and Klinton Lopez in 21:14. “We are all training and plan to run the Rehoboth Marathon in December,” Rivera said. Four of the runners emigrated from Guatemala when they were kids, while Jose was born in the U.S.; his parents are from Mexico. All five are bilingual. The four who emigrated from Guatemala nearly 20 years ago are classified DACA, which means Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. I hate to even go there, and do so only with permission. All are legal and working on or on their way to permanent residence. Personally, I’m a dreamer. I once dreamt I ran an 18:21 5K, but I fell out of bed and woke up.   

Nurse Brittany - Brittany Betts, straight out of Milton, is part of the field hockey/lacrosse legacy at Cape. But it’s the force of her personality that puts an Instagram smile on the faces of friends when they hear her name and see her image. Brittany ran in the Delaware Hospice 5K June 28 in a cool 24 minutes. In May, she graduated from the Delaware Tech nursing program and is an RN. She already works a real job at Beebe Healthcare, assigned to the surgical floor. My mother and sister were nurses, so I have some insight into the toughness, compassion, smarts and sense of humor it takes to be a great nurse. Most nurses I knew were great storytellers, although you never knew who they were talking about or whether the story was five patients rolled into one fictional character. Mostly nurses like talking to each other. In that way, they are like lawyers.

Run a little, pay a lot - Back 30 years when Bruce Springer of Time Out Sports had a shoe store on Rehoboth Avenue and Timmy Bamforth helped him administer races, there was a 5K race down the road to Bay Vista and back. The entry fee was $9. I wrote “the next run a little, pay a lot race is next Saturday.” Bands of new runners on the block went off on me, one woman saying to Bamforth, “What does that Dave Frederick guy know about running?” Tim said, “My advice to you is just to leave him alone, but you could always ask him in person.” Races now are $25 to $30 a pop and the distances are the same. Perhaps “run a little, pay a lot more” could be my millennial slogan? And you can run 100 races a year and you’ll pay full freight; there are no rewards cards, no rebates and no MVP status. I go into GNC - they have the best protein bars - and they ask, “Are you a member of our rewards club?” Not unless it comes with a club sandwich. I just want a protein bar. I’m already in too many kickback clubs. 

Happy at Hospice - A total of 250 runners took part in the Delaware Hospice 5K June 28, and many were there to support the people who supported them through tough times of transition. There was music and running, lots of families afterward, pulled pork sandwiches, beer and ice cream. The grounds are beautiful, but like life and death itself, it’s all about contrast. Personally, I know I need to visit the people inside the building to capture a true sense of Delaware Hospice and the good they do for families. 

Snippets - Met with an old friend on the Boardwalk Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. in front of Elite Fitness. We talked until 10 a.m., and later my image was posted on Facebook by John Knarr captioned, “Fredman holding court.” Maybe I could be like the dancing sign guy, except sitting and not dancing. “Elite off your feet,” that’s where I’m at. Five local races, including one a biathlon, are set over four days this Saturday through Tuesday. Mike Wardian, the congenial crazy runner from Virginia, will be in town this weekend. Mike is now 43. I think I’m going to tell him it’s time to slow down and see how that goes. Mike is 6 feet tall, 145 pounds. My question is, how can I outweigh someone by 100 pounds? He’s a Whippet, I’m a Chesapeake Retriever, but throw the ball and I ain’t chasing it. Go on now, git!