Striders qualify 14 local athletes for West Virginia Nationals

On Nov. 6, at the Coaches Cross Country East Regional Championships at Killen's Pond, the Seashore Striders of Lewes qualified 14 athletes for the national championships to be held Nov. 19 in Huntington, W. Va. A crowd of 320 athletes competed at Killen's Pond in Felton, while nearly 1,500 athletes from across the country will compete at the nationals.

Sixth grader Logan Shuttleworth won the first of two regional titles for the purple and gold, as she ran away with the girls' midget division (ages 11 and 12) by breezing through the opening mile in under 5:50 on the 1.86-mile course and hitting the finish in a time of 11:07 for her fifth regional title in a row. Shuttleworth’s time would have placed her 10th in the boys' race in the same division.

Teammate Ben Bamforth, running in the same division, captured the second title as he and runner Bryan Perry of the local Hawks Running Club took the race out ahead of the CYO pack of red through a 5:38 opening mile and never looked back. The two young runners ran stride for stride the whole way and cruised across the finish line side by side to a cheering crowd. The pair was timed in 10:31 for the 3,000-meter flat and fast course, which converts to nearly a 11:10 two-mile time.

Devin Hundley, 6, finished 22nd in the primary division with a time of 12:04 for 1.25 miles, while Lainey Shockro was 26th in 15:06 in her first youth race.
In the bantam girls' race, Lindsay Rambo was 18th in 13:46 for 3,000 meters, while in the boys' race Blake Hundley, 9, was second in a good time of 11:00, averaging 5:55 per mile. Hundley challenged for first place through the first two kilometers of the course before the CYO runner pulled away to run 10:52. Daniel Brown of the Striders ran his best race of the year, placing seventh in a time of 12:07.

Following Shuttleworth across the line for the Striders in the midget girls' race was fifth grader Alia Marshall in 24th in 12:43, while Cailey Thornburg was 33rd in 13:37. Zoe Kelly finished 35th in 13:44, while Elizabeth DePrince was 36th in 13:59.

Jake Caldwell was 39th in the boys' midget division in 12:24, while Spencer Czerwinski was 58th in 14:58.

Grace Brokaw finished 20th in the girls' youth race in a time of 17:47, while Sarah Rambo was 21st in 18:19.

Strider Seth DePrince finished 27th in the boys' youth race in 16:27. Lohgan Kline, in his opening year, was 32nd in 17:07, while Ricky Brokaw was 33rd in 17:18.

“The team was very competitive today with times that were very fast and the Strider crew of parents put together a great regional meet,” said Strider assistant coach Dan MacElrevey.

Saturday, Nov. 19 will mark the 22nd straight year that the Striders compete at a national championship, dating back to 1990 when they traveled to Portland, Ore.

Cape boys and girls finish fifth
The Henlopen Conference Cross Country Championships were held Nov. 5 with sophomore Austin MacElrevey leading the Cape boys' cross country team to a fifth-place team finish with 159 points. MacElrevey, the third sophomore across the line, finished ninth in 17:41. Milford won the boys' title with 34 points, followed by Caesar Rodney with 50 and Sussex Tech with 64. Luke DiGuglielmo ran a good race of 18:22 to take 24th overall, while Ryan Thornburg was 31st in 18:59. Sidney Miller finished 42nd in 20:26, while Corey Kreis was 53rd in 21:24. Aubrey Inkster was 56th in 21:31, while Sean Sheehan was 60th in 21:49.

On the girls' side, senior Ali Coning finished third in a time of 20:00 to lead the Cape girls to a fifth-place finish with 130 points behind champion Milford (42), Caesar Rodney (58), Sussex Tech (81), and Smyrna (91). Shanel Dickens took the race out hard with the early lead and hung on for one of her best races of the year to place ninth in 20:57. Grace Hetfield finished 36th in 23:29, while Maggie Heffernan was 40th in 23:42. Freshman Madison MacElrevey was 42nd in 23:59, while Emma Trugman was 46th in 24:24. Olivia Taylor was 49th in 24:52.

The Vikings will compete at the Delaware State Championships Saturday, Nov.19, at Killen's Pond State Park.

Seashore Marathon
Just under one month away and the Fourth Annual Seashore Marathon will be in Rehoboth Beach for the 26.2-mile journey through the Cape area. The Rehoboth Beach Running Company is gearing up to team with the Seashore Striders to put on the first-class event on Saturday, Dec. 10. The course will take runners into Lewes and the Cape Henlopen State Park and back. Runners will also have the option of competing in the half-marathon race, which will begin at the same time as the marathon. The latest update had a total of 548 in the half and 560 in the marathon for 1,108 total participants.

Volunteers and water stop groups are still needed, so be a part of a great local event and give the Seashore Striders a call at 302-644-8952.

Course preview for spectator viewing: The marathon course begins at the bandstand on Rehoboth Avenue and heads to North Shores and into Gordon's Pond for the opening two miles before making a turnaround and following Columbia Avenue to the Grove Park and onto Rehoboth Avenue Extended. Runners will follow the Canal Corkran road to Holland Glade, cross the Glade road and pick up the Breakwater Junction Trail to Gills Neck Road in Lewes. Runners take Gills Neck to Savannah Road and the drawbridge, where they will take a right onto Cape Henlopen Drive and follow it to the state park. At the entrance of the park, runners will get onto the bike trail and follow it into Fort Miles and the Great Dune lookout before heading to the bathhouse parking lot. Runners will loop the bathhouse parking lot and exit at the north corner heading for the site of the old gym and basketball courts before they get back onto the trail to exit the park. From the state park, runners will follow Cape Henlopen Drive to Lewes Beach and onto Savannah Road to Gills Neck Road. From Gills Neck Road they will backtrack their steps on the return to Rehoboth with a straight stretch down Rehoboth Avenue, finishing at the Rehoboth Beach Running Company.

Upcoming races
Sunday, Nov. 13 - 9th Mariner’s Bethel 7M & 5K, Camp Barnes, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 26 - 2nd Huffin’ for Pumpkin Pie 5K; Grove Park, Rehoboth, 9 a.m.

Sunday, Nov. 27 - 9th Sea Colony Turkey Trot 5K; Sea Colony Fitness Center, Bethany Beach, 9 a.m.

Contact the Seashore Striders at 302-644-8952 for more information.