Smiley scorches field at Masser Five-Miler
Local elite runner Dylan Smiley, 26, of Rehoboth Beach became the first runner to break the 25-minute barrier in the 31 years of the popular Masser 5-Miler held May 26 at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes. Smiley led the field of 251 participants wire-to-wire from the starting horn, racing through the trails of Lewes at 4:58 per mile like a ripple in the wind. Smiley went through the opening three miles in 4:54, 4:52 and 4:54, hitting the 5K mark in a blistering 15:12, while the last 15 participants in the race were still only at the mile mark. Racing the final two miles in 5:04 and 5:03, Smiley hit the finish in 24:50.8 for the record-breaking win.
“My legs didn’t feel great by any means going into this year’s Masser 5-Miler, and it’s been a while since I’ve raced this distance, so I had a fun challenge on tap today,” said Smiley. “Weather was like most years: not much of a breeze, fairly warm and just kind of balmy all around. In spite of the somewhat disappointing finish, I still can’t not be happy with the result!”
Masters runner Joey Andrisani, 41, of Wilmington was second, more than four minutes back in a time of 29:12.0, while Owen Parsons, 16, of West Chester, Pa., grabbed third in 29:27.0. Matt Sparacino, 46, of Harrington, winner of several races this spring, finished fourth in 29:59.2, while 34-year-old David Berger of North Wales, Pa., rounded out the top five finishers in 30:15.9.
On the female side, 19-year-old college runner Olivia Montini of Huntington Valley, Pa., easily ran away with the title in a time of 32:46.4, averaging 6:33 per mile. Popular racer Melissa Wiley of Ocean City, Md., 38, finished second in 34:24.2, while Kristin Schaen, 27, of Milton ran 35:46.0. Brynlea Rieger, 16, of West Chester, Pa., ran 35:50.3 for fourth place. She has been racing with the Striders since she could tie her own running shoes. Kate Gannon, 18, of Silver Spring, Md., rounded out the top-five finishers in 36:23.6. Karen Cathell of Berlin, Md., won the masters division in 36:51.1.
There were no 9-and-under racers, but a pair of 12-year-olds went 1-2 in the 10-13 age group, as Deane Willis of Clayton ran 37:40 and local Henry Neufeld of Lewes ran 38:39. In the 14-19 age group, Mason Morrone of Lewes was fourth in 39:20, but more impressive was his 10-mile warmup run a day earlier. Only two seconds separated the top two in the 60-64 age group, as John Costello, 63, of Milton ran 32:48 for 10th, while Bobby Hutton, 60, of Rehoboth Beach ran 32:50 for 11th. Debra Isser, 69, of Milton finished 40th in 37:46 to average 7:33 per mile and earn a world-class performance when looking at age-graded results. Dianna Golden, 71, of Frankford finished 56th in 39:10 to average a 7:50 mile pace. Isser and Golden are two of the best female age-group runners the Striders have ever seen in the championship series. Jack Noel, 85, ran 1:44:45 and crossed the line to a cheering crowd gathered at the finish arch. The 50-54 and 60-64 age groups on the male side were the largest at 22 runners, while the 60-64 female group with 17 was the largest.
Just before the start of the Masser 5-Miler, I asked for a moment of silence to remember Doc Lee Masser and then read a list of names of past Seashore Striders series runners who are gone, but not forgotten. In the background, I played the instrumental piano version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The following runners were remembered: Carla “Charlie” Brown, Amanda Dera, Danielle Guerin, Bob Porter, Pauline Porter, Larry Windsor, Ed Green, Dick Hipp, Doug White, Jay Stein, John Button, Tommy Coveleski, John Lenny, Len Leshem, Hal Carrier, John Weiss, Mike Richardson, Terry Gricher, Joe LoBiondo, Mary Masser and Dr. Lee Masser.
