One of the most extraordinary road races in the year takes place at 7:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 2, at Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach. Runners in the Last Blast Prediction 5K will make a 5K prediction during registration, then will complete an out-and-back course from the park to North Shores without using any watches, headphones or GPS devices during the run. There are no mile markers, accurate clocks or help allowed along the course, and the top 20 runners closest to their predicted time are the winners. Last year, the top four finishers were under a second from what they predicted, which was amazingly close. Normally, this event is so competitive that you have to predict within six or seven seconds to finish in the top 10 overall. Last year, Sedar Labarre won the title, being only 0.20 seconds off his predicted time, while Hilary Provinse was second at only 0.25 off. At the 2021 event, Eric Nutto won the title with a prediction only 0.79 off, and Aydan Vanderwende took second only 0.92 off. At the conclusion of the Last Blast award ceremony, the Striders will present the awards for the Seashore Striders Summer Racing Series.
Boardwalk Mile
The Seashore Striders hosted its first open-water ocean swim Aug. 27 off Grenoble Place at the north end of the famous Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. It was the first competitive swim event the Striders have ever hosted besides the annual Dave Reynolds Biathlon in July. A total of 49 swimmers entered the Atlantic Ocean at 8 a.m. under the watchful eye of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol, which guarded the calm ocean throughout the mile-long event.
“It was a nice, calm ocean this morning and great for the opening year of this event,” said Nico Caceres, RBP chief, who led the safety team of guards.
The current was strong running south and the swimmers were making great time getting through the course.
Just over the 20-minute mark in the race, it was David Shackley, 60, of Rehoboth Beach exiting the ocean and hitting the finish in a time of 20:39 for the male overall title. Charles Appleton, 63, of Rehoboth Beach was second and the male masters champion in 20:49, while Sean Saxton, 25, of Dover was third overall and winner of the 20-29 age division in 20:55. George Edelman, 57, of Dover finished in fourth place and won the 50-59 age group in 21:48, while 24-year-old Elizabeth Klingensmith of Uniontown, Pa., was fifth in 22:10 to win the female overall title. Finishing second among the women and winning the 30-39 age group was 35-year-old Jana Bregman of Baltimore in a time of 23:03, while Julia Gorman, 55, of Dover was third in 23:03 and first masters. Adrienne Fyock, 43, of Lewes finished fourth in a time of 23:06, while 14-year-old Isla Touw of Lewes rounded out the top five female participants in a time of 24:03. Proceeds will be used to start a future scholarship in the name of Tommy “TC” Coveleski to be presented to a Rehoboth Beach lifeguard.
Grove Club Scholarship
Cape Henlopen graduate Owen Daminger was presented a $500 scholarship at the Grove Park Running/Walking Club’s annual picnic Aug. 22. The club awards the scholarship annually to a graduating senior who participated in track and field. Owen’s specialty was the 400-meter event. He is a freshman at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., majoring in sports management and also playing for the school’s baseball team. The Aug. 22 gathering was the 1,521st consecutive Tuesday night run/walk for the club. The group meets in the parking lot at Grove Park at 6 p.m. each week without fail. It is an inclusive group that is a subsidiary of the local Seashore Striders founded by Bob Porter and Tim Bamforth that welcomes all participants regardless of age or ability. Porter’s motto was “Run for the health of it.” Anyone interested in more information can contact Margaret Colvin at rabbitsrun@verizon.net.
Running and racing this fall
The fall racing season is the busiest time of the year for the Cape Region and the Seashore Striders. The Striders will produce 32 events from September through the end of the year, with seven events in September, 11 in October, 10 in November and four in December. Seven are inaugural events for the Seashore Striders. Stay active, and join the Striders on the starting line for some great fall events and cool new contests. Go to seashorestriders.com for more race information.
