Coastal Sussex is a mecca of running races; just hit the restart button

Half in the bag - The 12th Seashore Striders Half Marathon, Relay and 5K run are in the books for the 2021 running season. Seventy runners challenged the half marathon, another eight elected the shorter 5K, and 12 teams combined for a two-person half marathon relay. The race was staged at Irish Eyes in Lewes and started on Market Street. The 5K winners were Bryan Mack in 18:36 and Kristin Thompson in 23:17. The married Cape Lunch Ladies – Bill Holdsworth, who works at Cape High School, and wife Lori, who works at Beacon – captured the masters 5K with times of 21:07 and 23:25, respectively. They are both 60 years old and retired from Phiily. Dickson Mercer, 39, from Tacoma Park, Md., won the half marathon in 1:17:06. Natalie Lutz, 39, of Hockessin was the women’s winner in 1:29:37. Masters champions were Mike Sewell, 51, who ran 1:27:46 and Jen Cawthern, 47, 1:37:17. 

Autocorrect - I sent an email to Sanford lacrosse coach Tim Lucky, who knows I’m Mikey Fred’s grandfather with a big camera, for some game comments. I mistakenly called Sanford the Hornets even though, being the Rainman of school mascots, I knew they were the Warriors. Coach Lucky politely corrected me and I wrote back, “Must have had a ’90s flashback. I know the ‘Hornies’ are Tatnall.” Some people mishear, while others misspeak, but Fruity Pop Pop, a muppet in the office fighting chair working the keyboard, has the gaffe potential of Joe Biden blended with Norm Crosby, the master of malapropisms. Crosby: “Wilt Chamberlain is an insulation to young people all over the world. Wherever he appears, after every game kids give him a standing ovulation.”   

Pronunciation - You may be from Delaware if you can correctly enunciate the words Hockessin, Hodgson, Lewes and Houston. It took me only 30 years to figure them out. But if people pronounce them wrong, I don’t autocorrect – I have enough problems of my own.  

Bias - Dover Air Force Base High School back in the late ’70s had a high jumper last name Bias. I told my high jumper, “Bias would be a good name for a track judge.” He laughed, so I asked, “Do you understand what bias means?” “Yea, man, I ain’t dumb. Like, ‘What are you gonna buy us?’” The Cape at Sanford lacrosse game on YouTube May 8 was annoyingly partisan for a Cape fan. I listened to the replay with the sound turned all the way up. I’m OK getting a heavy dose of biased reporting; it’s not like those guys are getting paid. But for a talented Cape team, it’s hard to be the post-game downward dog, and that’s before your own coaches start barking.  

Snippets - The Phillies are unwatchable and the Nationals are right there with them. They’re starting a three-game series in Washington, and someone has to win it. An outrageous level of payroll payouts is required to put a mediocre team on the field. The top two teams in the power rankings of MLB.com are the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants. Mercer University women’s lacrosse, winner of the Southern Conference, will play Florida in the NCAA tournament. Goalie Izzy Cryne and Chloe Schaffer on attack are former Cape players in the Bears’ starting lineup. Cailey Thornburg, a senior, left the team after suffering repeated nagging injuries. Regan Lingo, a senior at Furman, was named to the Southern Conference all-conference team as a defender. Regan, who played at Worcester Prep, is the daughter of Derrick and Ann. Older sister Meg played lacrosse at Furman while twin sister Leigh played at Virginia Tech. Start-up girls’ team Milford has consecutive games against Cape and Caravel with a combined record of 23-1. Why don’t Cape and Caravel just play each other? Speaking of Caravel, junior Hannah McLamb scored her 100th goal in a recent 20-4 win over Appoquinimink. Hannah is the daughter of Donald McLamb and Tracy Smith McLamb – her Milton pedigree runs deep. A big Tuesday, May 12 game in girls’ lacrosse with postseason seeding tournament placement on the line features the Sussex Academy Seahawks at the Ursuline Raiders. The game played at Serviam Field – not turf – will be on YouTube.com channel UAWilmington. Cape baseball, 3-3 over the last six games, plays at 15-2 Saint Mark’s Tuesday, May 12. Hardball in Delaware high school sports is the toughest sport in which to make a living, just lots of parity. Go on now, git!