Bethany Bunny Palooza 5K draws 700
Holy Saturday, Batman! The straight-shot, one-way Kiddle K was the undercard followed by 500 5K runners then 200 walkers for the 12th annual Bunny Palooza held March 30 in downtown Bethany Beach.
The popular event is a production of the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation and involves scores of volunteers, including the John M. Clayton school staff and students, two bunny mascots and all facets of the town’s infrastructure.
The top 84 runners broke the 25-minute barrier, which is an eight-minute-per-mile pace.
Steven Decarlo, 33, of Wilmington was the overall winner in 16:32. Chloe McCarthy, 19, of Davidsonville, Md., was the top female runner in 19:20.
Mathew Marcini, 47, of York, Pa., was second overall and won the male masters title in 16:48. Theresa Gagliardi, 40, of Glenolden, Pa., was female masters champion in 20:52.
Chris Stanley, 55, clocked a time of 22:03 and Pauila Pels crossed in 22:13 to capture the grandmasters’ stuffed bunny rabbit awards.
A new category, the senior grandmasters, saw Tim Young, 63, run 22:06, while Debra Isser, 69, won the female senior grandmasters title by setting an age group 5K state record with a 23:22 clocking.
The spring chicken category generated a pack of 9-and-under peeps. Andrew Canfield, 7, of Selbyville won the boys’ race in 25:56, besting 16 other runners, while Madeleine Rock, 9, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., ran 24:37 to grab her own medal wrapped around a stuffed bunny award.
The 10-14 age group also saw depth of talent as Lincoln Narvaez, 14, ran 18:15 followed by Ian Drake, 14, in 19:49. Nathan Tuma, 10, ran 20:34. There were 35 boys in that age group.
The girls’ 10-14 age group had 29 runners. The top three were Madison DeRosa, 12, 21:31; Mary Pilkington, 13, 21:53; and Alexandra Tuma, 12, 22:16.
Notes: A noticeable pattern is that when two or more fast young siblings are in the same race, there’s usually a fast parent in the same field. Brian Tuma, 46, of Greensboro, N.C., ran 19:28. His son Nathan, 10, ran 20:24, while daughter Alexandra, 12, ran 22:16. Local runner Israel Colon, 67, won the 60-69 age group in 23:20. Delaware towns Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes and Milton all host running races over the calendar year, and all require police protection for runners. The state park system is also a cooperating participant. The Coastal Delaware Running Festival is set for Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14. The weekend includes a 5K, 9K, half-marathon and full marathon. Go to codelrun.com for information. Grotto Pizza is the presenting sponsor for the grand extravaganza.
