Fast and furious flying feet of youth dominate Bottle & Cork races
“The Cork” race started out as a half marathon 48 years ago and always served as an end-of-summer challenge. The race has fallen back to a 10-miler and now includes the option of a 5K.
The 2024 Bottle & Cork 10-Miler was run under perfect conditions Sept. 7. The race was over by the one-mile mark on the Silver Lake Bridge, as Evan Diefenbeck, 20, of Landenberg, Pa., had left the field behind, running at a sub-six-minute pace. He went on to win in 58:47. Robert Stalzar, 31, of Philly was second overall and nearly a mile behind in 1:04:50.
Erin Fitzgerald, 43, of Middletown was third overall and first female in 1:05:17.
Keith Johnson, 43, of Wilmington won the male masters title in 1:07:17. Paul Montini, 56, of Philly was 14 seconds behind Johnson in 1:07:31.
Sarah Rusk, 43, of Wilmington won the female masters division in 1:11:34.
A total of 123 runners completed the 10-mile course.
The 5K race started 10 minutes after the 10-miler, as the young and relentless frontrunners flew in flying shoes past the flora and fauna over the Silver Lake ecosystem their music on speaker, the scene resembling a fabled Cork jam session. The top 26 runners were 21 or younger and all broke 20 minutes for the 5K. And they were all males. This collage and collection of speed represented the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Maryland and Florida.
Gabriella Maletta, 19, a Jersey girl, was 28th overall and the first woman in 20:36. EJ Jones, 64, of Wilmington won the female masters race in 23:23.
Brady Sheaffer, 20, of New Jersey was the overall winner in 16:33. Mathew Klein, 41, of Delaware won the male masters division in 20:27.
A total 182 runners/walkers completed the 5K course.
The Bottle & Cork Half Marathon began in 1977. In 2003, the race was named after Gary P. Lister, a school teacher who worked summers at the Bottle & Cork.
