Milford High School Cross Country

Here it is! No excuses! It's time to get out there, run and have some fun. For those oblivious to the Special Sauce, here's a little intro: Three summers ago, Ol' Bloomie dusted off the racing flats and shook the flab a bit, resurrecting his once glorious running career (No need for applause. I earned one big-race medal during my time -- a 14th-place All-Kent County finish in 1990 -- my final season at Lake Forest High.) At any rate, I survived my first summer in nearly a decade and found I still had that racing flame (it smoulders often, but hey, it's eternal :). Now it's 2002, and I've returned for yet another installment, SPECIAL SAUCE III. Once again Bloomie takes on the sizzling hot summer road races in quest of a season-best time and just maybe (after posting a 20:24 at the end of last season) I can get back to that high school form (a 19:45 at KPSP and 19:15 at CR in 1990). For those who remain lost on this Special Sauce business, take a look below to find out more, including results from the previous two seasons. And remember . . . If you want to make Special Sauce, I guess I'll have to see you out there running! :) Have fun! Run!

Without much further ado, here's the wrap from Seashore Strider Series race No. 1 -- not a bad start at all: In the Race For Danielle 5K Sunday, May 26, Bloomie felt rather well without a lot of conditioning and felt even better at the awards table, claiming first place in my age group (I'm now 28, folks). My 22:10 made for a good start, 57th out of 200, but more importantly it was my first first-place trophy in a Strider race in three seasons (Woowee! Hope that bodes well for the rest of the season!). Certainly, fellow Special Saucer Dan, Dan the Running Man Pennington counted his blessings to a surprising 18:01 (nearly two minutes quicker than a couple weeks ago), and the usuals (even old Lindell who said he stayed up 'til 2:30 the night before) did well, gaining trophies and solid times. Plus, it was good to see Coach Perciful representing the fellow Henlopen CC coaches. Uncle Vern, who has done several races this spring, spent the day doing 18 miles of speed work for his JUCO Marathon in a couple weeks. Special Sauce Insider saw several of the Cape athletes out there, especially Greg Swift who ran a record-breaking (best for a Caper) 17:10. Plenty of the Cape alums made the run as did MHS alum Heather Rudd who's training for her marathon. MHSCCer Stu Barr and Seaford duo Brian LLoyd and Andrew Perciful also completed the 5K.

I don't know what the rest of the summer season holds, but if it goes like Sunday's Cape May Duathlon, it'll definitely be an adventure. :) On the eve of the race Dan, Dan the Running Man Pennington leaked out that he was going to beat the Bloom partnership with Nick Boggs, when Ol' Bloom smartly retorted, "the only way you'll win is if I get a flat tire!" . . . Well, I guess I proclaimed my own fate, as well. The day started hectically as the three of us arrived in Cape May, a minute before the race started, as Ol' Bloom, got scolded by the park ranger for rollin' in a bit too hastily with my Handy Honda. (He rescinded the potential speeding violation as Nick and Dan jumped out of the car and sprinted to the starting line). At any rate, Nick followed Dan by about 10 to 15 seconds at the end of the first running leg and Ol' Bloom quickly sucked up Dan on the bike. We cruised together for about six miles when "Poof, sisssssssssss. . ." -- flat tire. There went Dan and here came the flood of bikers. For the next nine (YES, NINE) miles, I rode on a clankety, clankety, rimmed-out flat trying to hold on. (And yes, many stupid bikers rode by, omniscient enough to enlighten me: "You've got a flat, buddy.") Duh . . . and I still averaged over 18 miles per hour. Whoa! But in the end, Dan got his surprising win, placing 18th overall (1:22.14; 1st in age group). Meanwhile, about five minutes later, Boggs busted out a great final run to carry the Bloom-Boggs combo to a first-place relay finish (34th overall; 1:27.27). A splendid Sunday indeed!

Special Sauce returns for its third season and the Saucers started their 2002 running slate with the Cupid Chase 5K in Dover, Saturday, Feb. 9. Dan, Dan the Running Man Pennington scored the best Special Sauce performance, running a 19:46 to place sixth overall and third in his age group. A year ago, he pulled off a win in the Cupid event with an 18:46, but this year's win went to Dover High's Rich Worley who ran a stunning 17:34. Uncle Vern ran a 20:03 (first in his age group, 8th overall) and Ol' Bloomie ran a quite satisfying 22 flat -- 18 seconds faster than a year ago and good enough for 15th overall. Special Sauce Insider saw CR coach and Wesley runner Matt Lindell cruise to a sub-19, third-place run, while CR's Kyle Luke also placed. Congrats also go out to fellow biking pal Joe Beman who placed with a 21+, and CR eighth-grader Ashley Johnson, cruising along under 25.