Locals take part in Boston Marathon; Isser breaks previous state record

A group of 15 runners, all with ties to the beach running scene, took part in the historic 129th Boston Marathon April 21, braving the 26.2-mile course under beautiful racing conditions. Local Debbie Isser of Milton went through the half in 1:57, which put her on pace for a finish time of 3:54 that would break her own state record of 3:57. That is exactly what 70-year-old Debbie did as she ran 1:57:46 for the first half and 1:57:12 for the second half for a time of 3:54:58. The amazing run by Deb was unique, as nearly 99% of Boston racers slow down during the second half due to the Newton Hills.

This is not luck. It’s more of a mental toughness that one must have in a race like Boston. Many runners are physically tough and skillfully tough and talented tough, but not everyone is mentally tough and smart, so congratulations to Deb who showed her mental toughness in the middle of the race, and was smart enough not to go out too hard and over her head.

Here is a look at the local finishers: Dylan Smiley, Rehoboth Beach, 2:43:34; Roxanne Ramirez, Wilmington/Sussex Tech, 2:58:20 for the fastest female time in the First State; Jeffrey Banks, Ocean View, 3:02:24; Joey Andrisani, Wilmington/Rehoboth Beach, 3:10:32; Athena Manolakos, Fenwick Island, 3:20:12; Mike Sewell, Lewes, 3:31:56; Bob Schahfer, Bethany Beach, 3:35:33; Lucy McCausland, Rehoboth Beach, 3:55:03; Laura Collins, Ocean View, 4:25:41; and Alex Horgan, Middletown, 2:27:05, for the fastest male time from the First State.

Side note - My friend Jo Ann Kenton-Outten of Harrington competed in the Handcycle Division, where she won the overall title in 1:42:57.

Dover Relays

Sussex Academy won three events on the girls’ side and two events on the boys’ side along with a win in the coed 4-by-400m relay to highlight the annual Dover Relays. This was one of the premier meets in the ‘80s, with over 40 teams competing, and some of the best performances of the year came out of Dover. The meet was always run on a Friday night and was originally an all-boys event. The meet disappeared for a stretch, but longtime Dover coach Jim Solomon brought it back and included girls in the mix. Only nine teams competed this year, but the meet is sure to grow, and performances will continue to improve. The Sussex Academy girls won the sprint medley relay in 4:51.51, the 4x800m relay in 11:50.26 and the distance medley in 15:39.62. Bri Sordi was a part of four first-place finishes, as she ran on the coed 4x400 and 4x800, and anchored the distance medley and sprint medley for a nice day’s work. On the boys’ side, Ryan Moody put together a nice 3200m win in a time of 9:58.97 and won the 4x800m relay in a time of 8:38.96. Jordan Welsh of Sussex Tech highlighted the Ravens with a high jump win in 6-6 and a second-place finish in the long jump in 20-9.

The Vikings took part in the Under Armour Black and Blue Invitational April 17, at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., with some of the finest competition they will see all season. Jason Baker ran 4:21.56 in the 1,600 meters for sixth place, while Cardin Benjamin ran 4:32 and Andrew Radka ran 4:33. Riley Stazzone exploded for a huge PR of 9:42.16 in the 3,200 meters, while Brayden Redd ran 9:58.37 and Nick Petito ran 10:02.95. The Vikings ran 3:29.30 in the 4x400m relay, while Steven Hart won the high jump at 6-4 and leaped 21-6 in the long jump. Will DiPaolo was third in the vault, jumping 12-6, while Liam Ramsey threw 138-8 in the discus. This is the type of meet the Vikings needed as they soon head into the postseason.

The Cape Henlopen Vikings will head to the Unionville Invite this Saturday, April 26, instead of the Penn Relays, while Sussex Central will be in Philly for the relays. Sussex Academy will compete in Maryland at the Gator Invite. The conference championships are just around the corner for the Henlopen teams.

Penn Relays bits from the past - Cape’s Kai Maull won the high school long jump, soaring 24-feet-9-inches with Fredman and myself at the pit to watch his historic come-from-behind winning jump followed by a picture with the Coz. The Cape boys set the school record in the 4x400 relay with Ricky Pitts on the anchor going 3:22. My last year at Penn was a good one for the Cape girls, as the team of Hannah Maney, Katie Kuhlman, Alexa Dougherty and Tia Jarvis ran a season-best of 4:10 in the 4x400 relay to take third in their section, and the team of Maney, Mya Maull, Kiki Johnson and Jarvis won their section of the 4x100 relay earlier in the day. In 1985, Fredman, who was in his 10th year of coaching the Cape boys, was able to talk his way into getting his 4x800 relay into the second section of two, and the team of James Boyer, Tim Bamforth, Alex Sjoblad and Tony Horsey ran 8:08 and finished dead last, well behind the winner, St. Calabar of Jamaica, who went 7:42.

Bunny Palooza

A large field of 847 registered runners and walkers turned out for the annual Bunny Palooza 5K and 1-mile walk April 19 in Bethany Beach, led by race organizer Doug Purcell and his team. There was a time in our world where male runners dominated female runners in numbers, but not anymore, as 470 female runners to 377 male runners competed. There were 16 states represented at the event, led by Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and some runners from as far away as the state of Washington. Sean Nagorny of North Carolina ran 16:49.5 for the win, while Ryann Hall of Pennsylvania won the overall female title in 18:58.5. Mark Walchinsky won the male masters in 18:34.4, while Ginny Warren of Washington, D.C., won the female masters in 21:41.2.