DQ Dash attracts 387 to Lewes
Who doesn’t want to finish a 5K to a full table of mini Blizzards from Dairy Queen? That was the setting May 19 in Lewes, as the sixth annual DQ Dash and 1-mile walk attracted 387 runners and walkers on a cool morning that was great for racing. The race set a new event record for participants, with proceeds benefiting the Go Fourth Lewes fireworks fund.
“We were so excited to host this event again this year,” said Lewes Dairy Queen owner Ashley Diehl. “We love how much it has grown, and we’re grateful that so many come out to support an event that is supporting our community! It’s always such a fun time. Everyone that runs or walks is happy because they know there will be ice cream at the finish line!”
Matt Sparacino, 46, of Harrington captured the overall male title in a time of 18:22, while Sarah Richards of Rehoboth Beach was seventh overall and won the female title in 20:04. Both Sparacino and Richards have collected many Seashore Striders titles in the past two years. Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville won the male masters in 18:40, while the always-energetic Kimberly Geyer of Rehoboth won the female masters title in 25:01. Melissa Wiley finished in the top 10 and was only 34 seconds behind winner Richards. The Noonan dancing duo, Lily and Erin, finished in the top 20 and easily ran under eight minutes a mile.
Unsung hero
Cape junior Cardin Benjamin was featured in my column last week when he put together an incredible state championship meet, including two sub-2-minute 800-meter races and a 4:25 mile. What I have learned since is that Benjamin is also an outstanding soccer player, and that’s why he was not on the cross country starting line last fall. Soccer and cross country and track & field go hand in hand, and Cape has had several athletes who have excelled in those sports.
Running on my 3,200-meter relay team back in the mid-80s that competed in the basement of the Philly Civic Center on a banked, wooden 180-yard track was 6-foot-6 Axel Sjoblad of Sweden, who was also all-state in soccer. Axel, who ran 2:02, was also on my outdoor team that ran at the Penn Relays as we somehow were invited to the seeded section – after Fredman lied – and we ran 8:12 to finish dead last. Axel was a Swedish handball player who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Andy Menzo of Italy was also a superb soccer player and a 2:05 half-miler in the spring. Then there was my training partner for two years, Mark Wagner, who played soccer in the fall as well as running cross country. Mark amazingly placed fourth in the 1983 state meet running in the mid-16s. We put four runners in the top 10-12 and lost to Sallies by eight points. Mark and I put some heavy mileage in during high school, and we were always pushing the pace limit on our long runs. I knew if I eased up a bit, he had me, and if he had run full time, who knows how fast he would have been. Mark was also on the 4-by-1,600-meter state-record team, running just over 4:40 for the mile when we set the record at the Dover Relays in 1983 with help from Hank Stack and Dan Harmon.
800-meter state record
One of the oldest records in the state was broken Wednesday night at the Meet of Champions in Wilmington, as Ethan Walther of Salesianum broke the historic 1:49.4 hand time 800-meter record set in 1984 by Dover great Bruce Harris. Walther, only a junior, opened in 53 and closed in 55 to record an auto 1:49.02 for the record. Camerin Williams, a senior from A.I. duPont, also ran a great race of 1:50.20 for second place. Records are made to be broken, as they say, and congrats to my buddy Bruce for his performance and for holding that record for 40 years.
Local athletes placing in the top five at the Meet of Champions include Cape champion Bailey Fletcher in the pole vault with a nice clearance of 15-0, while teammate Eddie Houck jumped 14-6 to close out a great vaulting high school career. Trey Johnson of Cape ran an outstanding 100 meters, his best of the season, to finish second in a time of 10.89, while vaulter Addison Bowman of Cape finished second in 10-6. Stephen Hart finished third in the high jump in 6-2, while Jason Baker was also third in the 3,200 meters in 9:31.22. Katya Geyer of Sussex Academy was fourth in the high jump at 5-0, while Cardin Benjamin of Cape was fourth in the 1,600 meters in a season-best time of 4:24.06. Will DiPaolo of Cape jumped 12-0 in the vault for fourth place, while Mariah McCabe of Sussex Tech was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles in 48.69. The Cape girls’ 3,200-meter relay team finished fifth in 10:16.69.
