41st Annual SICBP 10-Mile Island Run Was the Largest to Date

SEA ISLE CITY – On Saturday, August 6, the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol (SICBP) hosted their 41st Annual Captain Bill Gallagher 10-Mile Island Run on Sea Isle City’s beaches and oceanfront promenade. This year, a record 1602 athletes competed in the race, which is named for a former beach patrol leader who founded the event as a competition for lifeguards from nearby communities. Several years after it began, the 10-Mile Island Run was opened to the public, and it has since grown to become one of the largest athletic competitions in South Jersey.
Fifty-six minutes after this year’s starting gun was fired, John Pickhaver, 21, Drexel Hill, PA, crossed the finish line on Sea Isle’s 44th Street Beach with an official time of 56:03. Pickhaver, who studies Political Science and runs track at Villanova University, was followed by Dustin Wilson, 17, Philadelphia, PA, the second place runner with a time of 56:10. Dan Day, 20, Doylestown, PA, was the third place winner with a time of 56:36. The three each received trophies and $250, $150 and $75 respectively.
“I feel great” Pickhaver said after the race. “This is not the first time I ran the 10-Mile Island Run – but I am very happy that this year I finally won!”
Prizes were also distributed to the fastest runners in several categories, including Carre Heineck, 29, Portland, OR, who was the first place female runner with a time of 1:05:31. Heineck was joined in the winner’s circle by Jessica DiCiccio, 22, Laurel Springs, NJ, the second place female, and Meredith Lambert, 27, Ardmore, PA, third place female.
Daniel Desharnias, 44, Quebec, Canada, was the top runner in Male Masters Division (over age 40); and Karen McCartney, 49, Doylestown, PA, was the top Female Master. The fastest fire-fighters, police officers and beach patrol members received trophies as well.
Also participating in the race were numerous groups and organizations that were running for charity or just for fun, including The Breaknecks, Murphy Milers, Cardinal O’Hara’s Cross Country Team, Buck’s for Bud, Jwilly Love, Unpopular Poets, Purple House, The Mount Track Team, The Philly Rams, and The Garden State Track Club.
One of the notable groups participating in the 10-Mile Island Run was “For Pete’s Sake,” a charity that provides respite vacations for adult cancer patients. For Pete’s Sake was founded by Marci Bossow Schankweiler, the widow of Pete Bossow, a SICBP lifeguard who lost his battle with cancer in 1999. Schankweiler and her fellow team mates, each wearing gold-colored tee-shirts, raised $15,000 for their charity, some of which came directly from the members of the SICBP, who have supported that organization for many years.
For complete race results, visit www.sicbp.com or www.compuscore.com.