Seashore Striders Summer Series wraps up

The 34th Seashore Striders Summer Series wrapped up a few weeks back with the Race for the Paws 5K in Dewey Beach, so now it is time for the largest award ceremony of the year. Several thousand dollars’ worth of awards will be presented Saturday, Aug. 31, including the top 20 and the overall winners in the Last Blast Prediction 5K in Rehoboth Beach. A total of 112 age-groupers qualified for the Summer Series by completing five 5Ks and one five-miler. Awards to be presented include most improved, most consistent and the Hank Brittingham Volunteer of the Year Award. Also, we will honor 21 runners who ran all 10 races, 28 volunteers, three National Class racers and my bike crew. One of the items the series is known for is presenting good-quality awards, and this presentation may be the best set of awards in the last 34 years.

With the Cape Gazette coming out a day before the awards ceremony and the final race of the summer, I thought it was appropriate to take a look at the age-group results.

Overall - Hands down, the best runner in the history of the series is Dylan Smiley, who had a combined time of 1:41:09.5, which sets a new series record, breaking his own. No one in the series was within 21 minutes. From his 24:50.8 at the Masser Five-Miler to his fastest 5K of 14:50.7 at the Firecracker 5K, it was an impressive season. On the female side, Melissa Wiley put together a combined time of 2:17:41.8 for a three-minute win. Her best 5K time was 20:14.1 at the Beebe Heroes 5K. She also clocked a time of 34:24.2 at the Masser Five-Miler.

Masters - Matt Sparacino, 46, of Harrington put together a combined time of 2:02:02.2 to win the series. He had a pair of 18:07 races at the Father’s Day and Dam Mill 5Ks, while just dipping under the 30-minute mark at the Masser Five-Miler. Sparacino won the title by five minutes over Martin Rodriguez. Karen Cathell, 43, won the female masters with a total time of 2:30:53.1, while running 36:51.1 at the Masser and 22:16 at the Beebe Heroes 5K. Cathell won by more than two minutes over Susan Dunn.

13U - Keiran LaBarre combined for a time of 3:19:25 for the win over Elizabeth Shockro on the girls’ side, while Deane Willia put together a total time of 2:28:47 to earn the boys’ win.

14-19 - Aydan Vanderwende follows in his dad’s footsteps to the victory stand, as he won the title in 3:13:22.

20-24 - Leslie Hayes won the title in a combined time of 4:04:05, including a 5K best of 36:02 at the Father’s Day 5K.

25-29 - Kristin Schaen combined for a time of 2:21:27 to win the age group and record the second-best time in the series. A time of 20:31 was Schaen’s best performance of the summer. Ben Bamforth with a combined time of 2:22:59 won the male side by three minutes over Luis Xavier Aguirre. Both Bamforth and Aguirre did something most runners don’t in the series, getting faster times in their 5K races each week.

30-34 - Elizabeth Rivera recorded a total time of 3:13:27 to win the title, while Michael Nellius combined for 2:22:49 on the male side.

35-39 - Elizabeth Gerritt combined for a time of 2:54:44, while Beau Croll combined for 2:30:52 to win the men’s title.

40-44 - Eugenija King won the title with a combined time of 2:44:15, including a mark of 24:17 at the Dam Mill 5K. Martin Rodriguez’s time of 2:07:39 edged Jeff Evans’ 2:26:21. Rodriguez ran all 10 races, with his 19:02 at the Race for the Ribbon as his best time.

45-49 - Susan Dunn continues to get it Dunn year after year as she won in a combined time of 2:33:20. Teddy Bohmer won his age group in 2:53:55, six minutes ahead of second-place finisher John Blackford at 3:00:25.

50-54 - Joanne “Mighty Mouse” Senft won the age group in a total time of 2:46:46, with Jen Ward second in 3:00:16. Longtime series participant Bryan Bowles turned in a total time of 2:40:11 to win the age group. Breck Vanderwende was six minutes back at 2:46:16. 

55-59 - Talented Mardiny Ung combined for a 2:37:39 time, while Kim Geyer was 10 minutes back at 2:47:59. Paul Montini had an impressive summer, combining for a time of 2:11:38 for the win. Montini was one of the few who ran the second five-miler faster.

60-64 - Margaret Colvin combined for a time of 2:37:16, while Tim Young combined for a time of 2:32:11 to win by more than 10 minutes over Leslie Wright. 

65-69 - Nancy Foschi combined for a time of  3:45:06 to win the age group in one of the closest races of any division. Cathy Haut was timed in 3:45:35, only 29 seconds back. Foschi took the Masser Five-Miler by two minutes, but Haut won the Seashore Five-Miler by two minutes, putting them about even. Haut had the best 5K performance, as she ran 33:11 at the Dam Mill 5K. Foschi ran 33:13 at the Father’s Day 5K. It was also a close race on the male side, as Shaun Serfass won the age group in 2:53:06, while Richard Strey was timed in 2:54:18.  

70-74 - Karen Levin won the age group in 4:08:08, while Stephen Jessee won in 3:00:12.

75-79 - Elite runner Mary Kessler won the age group in 2:55:11, with a 5K best of 25:58 at the Dam Mill 5K. Kessler’s performance was faster than the 65-69 and 70-74 champions. Woody Disharoon won the male side in 3:17:22.

80+ - Bernie Gallagher, at age 83, owned this age group in 6:22:06 over second-place finisher Jack Noel, 85, in 7:02:13. 

5K walk - There were only two qualifiers, so Marian Dowling’s time of 4:49:47 won the female title, while Don Zalenski completed the races in 4:15:34 to win the male title.

Boardwalk Swim

Master swimmer Thomas Krajewski, 45, of Baltimore was a fish in the water Aug. 25, as he won the second annual Boardwalk Swim in a fast time of 19:19. Cullen Robinson of Claymont was second in 21:35. Brett Townsend of Newark won the masters title in 21:54.

Erin McGraw of Fairport, N.Y., won the female championship in a time of 21:39 for the third-best swim of the day, while Nancy Panagacos of Millsboro won the female masters title in 24:10.

The event doubled in size from the first year and was a fundraiser for the annual $500 scholarship in the name of Tommy “TC” Coveleski.