Alexa Dougherty and Taylor Johnson are fast friends and became hurdle partners who each qualified to take part in the Delaware Meet of Champions last week at Caravel Academy.
The bond they built through training and racing side by side in Vikings uniforms is something that will last forever and cannot be broken. Cape also had hurdlers Noelle Sabbagh, Elizabeth Melson and Aubrie Myers this season, giving the team five legit hurdlers who worked well together with coaches Gilbert Maull and Jamie Loucks.
All five hurdlers improved throughout the season, as Johnson, Dougherty and Melson each made the Henlopen Conference final. Johnson qualified for the state final, while Dougherty won her heat in the second section, running a personal best of 49.97. At the Meet of Champions, Johnson broke 48 seconds with a personal best of 47.96 for fourth place, while Dougherty was seventh in 50.08.
Johnson will graduate this year and move on to attend Syracuse University, while Dougherty, Melson and Sabbagh return for the Vikings, keeping them solid in the hurdle department.
Lance Fargo wins national title
Local Lance Fargo, better known on the race circuit as Papa Clyde, participated in the USAT Duathlon National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala., May 22, racing in the Non-Drafting Standard Distance and the Non-Drafting Sprint Distance both on the same day, and he picked up two more USAT National Champion Clydesdale 40-59 titles in the process. Fargo also qualified to represent Team USA in the 55-59 AG in Townsville, Australia, in 2022. Next up for Lance is the USAT Clydesdale National Triathlon Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., Sunday, June 27. Good Luck, Papa Clyde!
DQ Dash raises $9K for fireworks
The annual DQ Dash 5K, held April 25 from the Lewes Beach Dairy Queen, raised an impressive $9,000 for the Go Fourth! Lewes Fireworks fund. My buddy Russ Palmer is the coordinator of the committee, while Ashley Diehl was the 5K race organizer who collected all the sponsors when she was not making Blizzards. Just over 200 participants registered for the event, but rain kept many away from the start, with 140 finishing the race. This is a great local Lewes event, as many come out to show their support for the fireworks show. The fireworks will be held July 4 this year off Lewes Beach. A big thank you goes out to all the participants and sponsors that got it done.
Seashore 5-Miler
The second of two five-milers in the Seashore Striders Racing Series will be held Sunday, June 13, from Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes. Register at seashorestriders.com. The Masser 5-Miler and the Seashore 5-Miler were planned early in the season this year to beat the heat and the traffic.