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Stiletto race raises funds for Delray's Achievement Centers

By Palm Beach Business.com

It's the clothes make the man ... James Quillian, AKA Miss Osceola Park, won the prize as the best-dressed contestant. Quillian arrived on the scene in a conch shell carriage. Below left, contestants prepare for the finals. Women's champion Carly Karaszewski is at the right while eventual overall champion Dave Denkler is to her right.

DELRAY BEACH — The First Annual Delray Beach Stiletto Race Friday evening was a success on two levels: No one was hurt, at least not physically, and it raised money for the Achievement Centers for Children and Families.

The big surprise of the night: the grand champion was a man.

“I did not train for this at all,” winner Dave Denkler said afterwards, “but I will be roasted for this by my family and friends for a long time.”

Roast away, folks. Denkler won $1,400 in prizes for his effort.

The race was a 75-meter dash along SE 4th Avenue (in front of George’s Shoe Repair, appropriately enough). All contestants had to wear shoes with a minimum 3-inch heel; wedges, platforms, boots, etc. were not allowed. And the heel had to remain attached to the shoe for the entire distance.

Contestants paid a $25 entrance fee, while sponsors, including Vince Canning Shoes, donated raffle prizes to raise money for the Achievement Centers. They also donated prizes that went to the winners.

Carly Karaszewski won the women’s division; James Quillian, aka Miss Osceola Park, was declared best dressed, the team from PeterMark Salon won the relay race, while a team from Waste Management won the red carpet Stiletto Strut competition.

But for many competitors, it wasn’t where they finished that was the measure of accomplishment. It was more that they finished at all.

“We didn’t trip; we didn’t fall; we didn’t break anything, so it was a success,” said Connie Bowser of SK Quality Roofing, one of the event’s sponsors.

Valerie Encheff and Connie Bowser, both of SK Quality Roofing, show their stuff during the Stiletto Strut portion of the competition.

And they're off! The relay race was won by team PeterMark Salon, seen at the far right. Each contestant had to hand off a a baton — actually a stiletto — to a team mate after traversing the 75-yard course.