The 16th annual Shamrock Shuffle 10-Miler & 5K will be held this Sunday, March 6, at Cape Henlopen State Park, beginning at 9 a.m. from the northeast corner of the bathhouse parking lot. The race will head to Fort Miles, cross over to Marathon Road and head behind the campground toward the dunes. The 5K turnaround is just after you turn to head south on Clam Shell Trail, while the 10-miler will head to Herring Point and then to Gordons Pond, with a turnaround at the five-mile mark. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in 10-year age groups. Long-sleeved cotton T-shirts will be guaranteed to all who registered before March 1, while others are first-come, first-served. The always-dependable Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park will staff the water stops at Fort Miles, Herring Point and Gordons Pond, while the Cape Henlopen Park Watch will monitor the bridge just south of Herring Point. The race is expecting 150 participants. Check-in will be at 8 a.m. at the start/finish line. State park entrance fees are now in effect, so drive the car with a parks sticker. See you on the starting line for the first Seashore Striders event of the year.
The Delaware Mile Challenge
Get ready to make history! Tatnall School will host a unique event Saturday, April 9, called the Delaware Mile Challenge. The mile races will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Middle School Mile, followed by the High School Girls and Boys Mile, the Community Mile, the Open Mile, the Masters Mile, and finishing up the evening with the Elite Women’s and Men’s Mile. There are only six states in the U.S. that have not had a mile run under the four-minute mark on their soil. It is time to remove Delaware from that lonely list. Prize money will be offered for first through fifth places in the elite mile, with the top prize at $2,500. Second place is $2,000, with third at $1,500. A $1,000 prize will go to the fourth-place finisher, while $500 will go to the fifth-place finisher. If the winner of the elite race breaks the four-minute mark, they will receive an extra $500. If anyone else finishes under four minutes, they will divide the $500 bonus. On the female side, if someone tops the Delaware state record of 4:45.84, set by Suzanne Girard of NC State in 1981, an extra $500 will be given to the winner, with all others under the mark splitting the $500 bonus. General registration is through runsignup.com. The elite runner contact is Joe Compagno, who can be reached at 908-616-0119. The high school registration is through de.milesplit.com. For questions, contact coach Patrick Castagno at 302-494-5312 or patrickcastagno@gmail.com.
John Small looking big!
Cape senior trackman John Small is looking fast and fit early this spring and has the body of a college sprinter/hurdler. John is coming off a fourth-place finish in three different events this winter – the long jump, triple jump and 55 hurdles – and an eighth-place finish in the 200 meters. John is tough mentally and physically and just goes about his business of preparing for each event one at a time, and he is always open to learning how to get better. I can see John as a great 400-meter hurdler at the college level or even a tough decathlete who can compete in most of the 10 events now. I feel John will love the 300-meter hurdles this spring. He reminds me of Cape track great Willie Savage, who won 13 state titles. Good luck, John, in your final track season.
Lucky Leprachaun 5K
Returning to Milton to kick off a jam-packed day is the 9th annual Lucky Leprechaun 5K Sunday, March 13, hosted by Irish Eyes and beginning at 11 a.m. The last Lucky Leprechaun had 400 runners in 2020, and we are hoping to get close again as post-COVID races return to the beach area. Long-sleeved T-shirts, custom medals and a great after party highlight the event, with proceeds to support the Milton Fire Company. Go to seashorestriders.com to get registered.
