Dylan Smiley

I started running in high school after giving up soccer as my fall sport. I joined the team as a sprinter but quickly fell in love with distance running, thanks in large part to the culture of the cross-country team. Over the next three years, I continued to develop as a distance runner, reaching the Pennsylvania State Championships during my senior cross-country season and Districts in track and field.

Growing up, I spent much of my summers going back and forth between Phoenixville and the Lewes-Rehoboth area with my family. Once I discovered running, those summers included plenty of miles in Cape Henlopen State Park as I prepared for the upcoming fall season.

I spent my first three years of college running for West Chester University, just down the road from where I grew up. During that time, our squad went from the middle-back of the pack to a top-five team in the conference. My junior year, I earned All-Region honors in cross country. Going into my senior year, I decided to continue my running career away from the team.

The fall of 2019 and spring of 2020 brought plenty of challenges—but also some great successes. I planned to run my first half marathon in Philadelphia that November but was sidelined by an SI injury. I was determined to come back stronger. Despite the lockdown, we held an unofficial half marathon the following spring to make up for the postponed Coastal Delaware Running Festival, where I ran 69:09. When the official Coastal Delaware Running Festival finally returned that fall, I jumped up to the full marathon—my first—and won the event in 2:25.

Over the next few years, I continued chasing the marathon while also beginning to coach other runners one-on-one. Around the same time, Charm City Run opened its Rehoboth location, and I developed a great relationship with the team there. My running journey has since taken me to Chicago—twice—and Boston. I’m also a regular on the local racing scene, winning the Seashore Striders Summer Racing Series from 2022–2024 and every Dogfish Dash since the race returned in 2022. Can I make it five for five this year?

Now, I’m excited to take the lead with Charm City Run Training in Rehoboth, help other runners chase their goals, and set my sights on my own next big race this spring!