Photo by  Richard L. Gaw               Runners take off at the start of the sixth running of the Mushroom Cap Half Marathon, held on Nov. 13 in Kennett Square.

By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

A throng of more than 500 runners braved blustery late fall weather this past Saturday morning for the sixth running of the Mushroom Cap Half Marathon and the FunGi 5-mile run that navigated through the neighborhood streets and outer country roads of Kennett Square.

In the Mushroom Cap Half Marathon, overall champion Darryl Brown finished with a time of 1:15:05, followed by second-place finisher Kevin Beugless (1:20:51), third-place finisher Angel Chimal Rodriguez (1:22:17). The top overall female champion was Katelyn Gardner who had a winning time of 1:35:08, and was followed by Jamie Torchiana (1:36:47) and Kathryn Miller (1:37:00).

In the FunGi 5-Miler, overall champion PJ Meany finished with a time of 27:44, followed by second-place finisher Kyle Phillips (34:32) and Tim Beatson (35:08). Andrea Sikora was the top overall female winner with a time of 37:23, followed by Shannon Lilley (38:08) and Virginia Wilson (38:08). For full results of both races, visit .

After seeing the annual race become a virtual one in 2020 (drawing 300 runners), Karen Dimascola -- who co-organizes the event with Sarah Nurry – said she was joined by hundreds of participants who greatly anticipated the event’s return this year.

“All of us have been waiting 18 months for this moment to arrive,” she said. “We are very excited to be able to have this venue to give to the community again, and be able to serve our three charity partners -- LCH Health and Community Services, Kennett Area Community Service and Young Moms, Inc.”

The Mushroom Cap is organized by Run2Shine, Inc., a local Kennett Square non profit that bridges healthy lifestyles with charitable giving. Over the course of its existence, Run2Shine, Inc. has donated more than $50,000 to local organizations. This year, 21 businesses served as the sponsors of the event.

To learn more about the Mushroom Cap Half Marathon – and to make a donation to any of this year’s Charity Partners or learn about the 2022 event -- visit www.mushroomcap.org.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email  [email protected].