With the May 17 announcement that CRR Tom Apple would be “taking his talents to Waikiki Beach” after having been named Chancellor at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (the islands’ main campus), we’ll be losing a loyal Creek Road Runner locally. The good news is that it will effectively double the Creek Road Runner population in the 50th state. CRR Chip Fletcher, who coincidentally last week was featured in a New York Times article on beach erosion, has been Creek Road Runners’ “lone wolf” on that island paradise for a couple decades now. The former triathlete, who still does those grand ocean swims, will welcome Tom, if not as an age-group competitor and new boss, as a running ally and fellow Blue Hen alumnus. Aloha.