Sea Witch races draw record crowds

The 34th annual Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic and Half Marathon brought a record turnout of 878 runners and walkers to the event this past weekend. The half marathon was held at Cape Henlopen State Park Oct. 26, with 278 registered, while the 5K was held Oct. 27, in Rehoboth Beach, with 604 registered. A total of 38 athletes did both events, which we called the Spooky Challenge.

Tim Pagano, 38, of Lewes won the 5K in 17:15, followed by 34-year-old David Berger of North Wales, Pa., in 17:51. Andy Gorlich, 39, of Milton was third in 18:16, while 13-year-old Jude Peacock of Lewes was fourth in a personal-best time of 18:31. Martin Rodriguez wrapped up the top five by winning the masters race in 18:51. Melissa Wiley, 38, of Ocean City, Md., was 13th overall and won the female title in a time of 20:01, while Amy Dischler of Wilmington was second and masters champion, finishing 30th in 22:31. Masters runner Rene Ryan of Annville, Pa., was close behind in 32nd at 22:35, settling for the 40-44 age-group win. Debra Isser, 70, of Milton finished fourth in 23:04, while 9-year-old Lucy Applegate of Spotsylvania, Va., wrapped up the top five in 23:04. Road racing is one of the only sports where a 70-year-old and a 9-year-old can race to the finish side by side and stride for stride. Pretty cool!

DAAD Invitational sets record 

The DAAD Middle School Invitational stepped off at Killens Pond State Park Oct. 30, with a record 900 athletes, coaches and parents at the show. The anticipated Killens crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 people watched four races go off in two hours. All three Cape middle schools competed in the event, with Fred Thomas boys finishing third in the A race with a score of 117 points. The Mariner boys finished fifth with 137 points, while Sussex Academy was eighth with 240. Beacon grabbed ninth with 301, while Georgetown was 16th with 460.

Dylan Harp led his Mariner team with a second-place finish in a time of 12:20, while Jude Peacock led his Fred Thomas team in 12th place with a time of 12:47. Seth Moore led Sussex Academy in 16th in 12:56, while Jack Hudson of Fred Thomas was 17th in 12:57. Sussex Academy grabbed 18th and 19th with Kai Mundok in 12:59 and Nolan Furlong in 13:06. Brandt Kuklish led the Beacon boys with a 39th-place finish in 13:53. Warren Davis finished 68th to lead his first-year Georgetown team with a time of 14:42.

In the girls’ action, Sussex Academy was the top finisher locally, as its girls finished fourth with 192 points. Mariner was sixth with 212 points, while Fred Thomas finished 10th with 246 and Beacon was 13th with 282. Georgetown finished 16th with 357 points.

Individually for the girls, Mariner’s Bree Terhune finished second overall in a time of 13:31, some 50 seconds faster than last year, while Emily Hilton ran a great race for third for her Beacon team in a time of 13:33. Garrity Cox led Sussex Academy in 25th with a time of 15:09, while Abby Bryson led her Fred Thomas team in 27th, running 15:18. Yasmi Morales-Ramirez led Georgetown in 48th in 15:53.

East regionals at Sandhill

The CCC East Regional Cross Country Championships at Sandhill Fields in Georgetown are set for 10 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 3. The course walk will be at 9 a.m., with the 5U mighty mites scheduled for a 10 a.m. start. Young runners in four age groups from all over the region will attend. About 350 are expected. Come on out to Sandhill to see our future runners. Registration is still open at www.seashorestriders.com.