The 22nd annual Dave Reynolds Biathlon was won by an 18-year-old pool lifeguard visiting Rehoboth Beach to celebrate his recent graduation from The Charter School of Wilmington.
Brad Brooks logged a time of 29:16 to win the annual event, besting last year's winning time by 29 seconds. Rehoboth Beach lifeguard Wayde Marsh won last year's event in a time of 29:45.
“I have my graduation party here later today, so I came down yesterday and figured I'd sign up and try it,” said Brooks.
He jumped out to a commanding lead in the half-mile swim portion of the race, exiting the ocean nearly a minute before his next-closest competitor. As a competitive swimmer with Delaware Swim Team, Brooks said, he felt he had an advantage.
“I've been swimming six or seven days a week, so I felt great,” he said. “Then the run, I felt good for the first mile or so and then it got hot. Once it got hot, I started to get tired and felt a little wear and tear, but I was able to finish strong.”
Runner-up finisher Steve W. Moran made up some time in the 5K run and finished hot on Brooks' heels.
Brooks was a three-sport athlete at Charter, competing in cross country, swimming, and track and field. When he's not swimming for DST year-round, he also works as a pool lifeguard. He was in good spirits after the race was over.
“It feels really fantastic,” he said. “And they gave me some free V8 - it's delicious.”
Check out Tim Bamforth's running column in the Friday, July 6 edition for more information about the race. For full results, go to www.seashorestriders.com.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.