Milford High School Cross Country

Well, a few days after getting up 5 a.m. in the morning, driving to Jersey and getting lost only to arrive 15 minutes too late to the Cape May biathlon, Ol' Bloom got back to the race schedule, knocking out a rather dull 21:20 at the Race for the Cure 5K on a scenic, hilly course in Middletown Thursday night. I've begun to build a nice little rivalry with Milford resident (and fellow 29-year-old) Brad Dennehy, the New Zealand wonder. We ran stride-for-stride much of the way, and fortunately, Bloomie survived with a late surge. We've been neck-and-neck over the last three or four races. I'm looking forward to a fun season with a excellent competition from Brad. :) Too bad we're both losing ground on Coach Kennedy from Smyrna who scorched a 19:26. Special Sauce Insider saw the Nimmerichter family from Middletown (Samantha and younger bro and lil' sis) compete with solid times and medal-winning finishes. CR's Ashley Johnson won her age group and Smyrna guys Joe Morman (under 21) and Aaron McKinney (under 22) placed in their high school age group. Wesley/Middletown runner Mike Schroeder helped stack the Bloomie group. Next race: Spring into Motion 5K at Greenwood Mennonite School Saturday, June 7.

After seasons of running just for fun, Ol' Bloom has decided to step it up a notch and run . . . for money. That's right... I'm going pro... If you want me to run at your race -- gotta pay out the appearance fees. . . . Yeah, right. :) At any rate, the Memorial Day weekend proved quite prosperous as Bloom and Mighty Matt Lindell (Smyrna CC, Wesley CC alum turned CR assistant coach) teamed together for the first time to win the male relay division at the Kent Foot&Ankle Family Frolic Biathlon in Smyrna Saturday. The duo ran a solid 1:25:03 -- just seconds behind the overall winner -- yet good enough for a $50 cash prize. :) Lindell got a good start (sub-19s) placing fourth in the opening 5K, just a few ticks behind the leader, while Bloomie blazed around the 16.4-mile bike loop in about 46 minutes (21+ MPH average). Lindell secured the cash with a solid sub-20 finale. With burnt-toasted hammies from Saturday's surge, Bloomie still put forth a 21:18 (fastest Danielle 5K time ever) to survive Sunday's Strider Series race. Bloomie got to see numerous running friends keeping pace in the crowd of 225+ runners. Woodbridge CC alum Blazin' Breck Vanderwende made his first race of '03 and won the Bloomie age bracket, while CR alum Nike Nick Boggs placed in his. Of course, the Barr family -- Stuart and Emma running and Clare doing the walk -- showed their support as did MHSCC MVP alum Heather Rudd. Way to go!!! Congrats go out to John Yanacek who dropped his PR (19:25) once again and Tell Gwen Guerke who continues to be consistent. Seaford CC coach Rob Perciful finished the race, bad toe and all, and Lake CC alum Eric Payne surged to a Top 5 finish. Special Sauce Insider saw Cape CCer PJ Melendez zip by Ol' Bloom at the finish line. P.J.'s sis, Tiffany, scored the Danielle scholarship prize and cruised through the race after acting as the official starter. Lots of Cape CC alum showed up: Popovich, Morris, and others. Next race: Cape May Biathlon June 1 in Cape May, N.J.

It's always nice to have a breather from the top competition as a few of Ol' Bloom's bracket leaders skipped this weekend's chilly Fit as a Fiddle 5K in Milford. I still had to rally for a strong finish to roll to an age group win - my first of 2003. :) Hey, Tim Foster, that's the closest I'll ever come to catching you (the MHS alum outsprinted/jogged me at the end). My 20:51 didn't really hold water to MMS Triathlete and marathoner Bobby Spath who took a runner-up with low 19s. Congrats also go to John Yanacek who gets another best (19:40) and Gwen Guerke under 30 (time not age :). Fellow Lexington Miller Anne Beals broke the 25 barrier and Kathy Kunkle -- momma of MHSCCer alum Andy -- ran under 29. Special Sauce Insider saw the Creaseys (mom and pop only) cruise in with nice times. Poppa Creasey said the MHSCC team might just see his daughter running next fall as she makes her way to high school. Have fun!!! Run!!! Next race: Family Frolic Biathlon May 24 in Leipsic.

May 3 - ARC 5K 20:51(16th overall, 3rd in age group) May 11 - Masser 5-Miler 36:27(46th overall, 5th in age group) May 17 - Fit as a Fiddle 5K 20:50(11th overall, 1st in age group) May 24 - Family Frolic Biathlon 1:25:03 (2nd overall, 1st in male relay) May 25 - Run for Danielle 5K 21:18(47th overall, 5th in age group) June 5 - Race for the Cure 5K 21:20 (16th overall, 4th in age group) June 7 - Spring into Motion 5K 21:10 (9th overall, 2nd in age group) June 14 - Strawberry Fever 5K 22:11 (9th overall, 2nd in age group) June 15 - Father's Day 5K 20:57 (43rd overall, 6th in age group) June 21 - Summer Fest 5K 22:59 (13th overall, 4th in age group) June 22 - Citizen's Bank 5K 21:02 (41st overall, 4th in age group) July 4 - Laurel Independence Day 5K 21:44 (14th overall, 2nd in age group) July 12 - Nanticoke Riverfest Kayak Race 7.5-mile1:10:09 (1st in race class) July 19 - Buffalo Stampede 5K 20:31 (27th overall, 5th in age group) July 27 - Riverwatch Duathlon 1:25:47 (22th overall, 1st in male relay) Aug. 10 - Run For J.J. Memorial 5K 21:15 (48th overall, 3rd in age group) Aug. 16 - Dam Mill 5K 20:30 (?th overall, 3rd in age group) Aug. 23 - Survival of the Fittest Heptaphalon 44:01 (3rd overall) Sept. 27 - Stockley Stride 5K 20:05 (10th overall, 2nd in age group) Oct. 4 - Governor's Day 5K 19:24 (10th overall, 1st in age group) Oct. 18 - Seaford's Homecoming 5K 20:25 (4th overall) Nov. 1 - Henlopen Open 5K 20:01 Nov. 2 - Fall Harvest 5K 19:55 (3rd overall, 1st in age group) Nov. 15 - Kent County Parks & Rec 5K 21:21 (11th overall, 3rd in age group) Nov. 22 - Delaware Open CC 5K 20:33 (19th overall, 4th in age group) Dec. 13 - Share the Holiday Spirit 5K 19:33 (2nd overall, 1st in age group)

So Ol' Bloom made sure he got a race in with Ray Parker's Trisports Events Series (since I need a whopping 10 to complete it) and got a nice early-season boost with a 20:51 in the ARC 5K. With upstart Smyrna CC coach Michael Kennedy talking noise, I guess I better get extra motivated to kick some butt. I've got a minute to make up on him as he ran a solid 19:58. Nice run, but Ol' Bloom's we'll see ya at the end! :) Glad to see Lake CC alum Steve Scarborough out there getting back to shape. He'll definitely make my age group stronger and leave me in the dust, already in the low 19s. :) Plus, CR alum (and former star pitcher) Jared Tootell has become a stunning runner and looks to add to the Bloom bracket at age 25 as he won the race with a 17:09. Ex-Lake science teacher John Yanacek continues to improve, running a career-best 19:49. Thumbs up! And congrats to Tell Gwen Guerke who came out smiling and running! Special Sauce Insider saw CR's super freshman Ashley Johnson hit the 23s and Coach Kennedy brought out an upstart CC runner, Shaun Tetzner, who ran a flashy 19:25. At the Masser 5-miler, Ol' Bloom tried to dodge the summer heat that usually accompanies the second series 5-miler in August, but the heat and humidity still showed up Sunday morning at Cape. After a 6:20 opening mile, Bloomie wilted in a hurry to finish with a mediocre 36:27 -- about 10 minutes behind the race winner. I did see Central CC alum Enos Benbow for much of the race as he tries to recover from a stress fracture during his college CC season. He said he was taking a month break to freshen up before hitting the series full speed. Again, Scarborough and Yanacek had nice days and at least Uncle Vern came down to spectate. :) Special Sauce Insider saw Cape CCer Evan Mock kick it in over the last two miles to finish ahead of Bloomie while another Cape CCer PJ Melendez appeared a bit tired but knocked out the race. Mock Daddy spent the spring golfin' instead doing circles on the track. :) Next race: Family Frolic Biathlon in Leipsic May 24.