Billy Kelly 5K - Sam Donovan & Joann Mathews Win in Mansfield
Shortly before the first mile on Forbes Blvd. in the Mansfield Industrial Park at Sunday's Billy Kelly 5K, defending champion Chris Elgar made his move.

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By Robert Rose
Posted Tuesday, 22 November, 2005

Initially mired in the pack, the Attleboro resident closed to within ten yards of the lead, adhering to the script that he followed successfully to win last year, trailing early then bolting to the front late. This year Newton's Sam Donovan rewrote the script, fending off the challenge of Elgar and the other 218 5K competitors to win in 16:35. Dartmouth's Joanne Mathews dominated the women's 5K in 18:07. Wrentham's Paul Powell (29:30) led a Wampanoag Road Runner sweep in the inaugural five mile and Attleboro's Tish
Bischoff (37:34) took the women's five mile.

A trio of high school runners, Donovan and Taunton High School's Ian Blatz and Nicolay Kolev formed the lead phalanx that rolled out of the Mansfield Holiday Inn at the start. Donovan was there because his Newton South cross country season had prematurely ended. "Our team didn't qualify for the all state which was yesterday," the senior said. "So we decided it would be nice for some of our kids do a 5K to get our PR's down." When the lead group hit the first mile (5:15), Elgar was closing but then the script got rewritten. "It wasn't realistic," the Canton High School track coach confessed. "I know what I've done in the last couple months. I got hurt in September and missed five weeks. When your mile repeats are at 5:45 you're not going to be racing at 5:20. My race style is where I'll let people go out and see what they got. I'm not ashamed to admit I was hoping some of those guys would go straight (and run the five mile). When they didn't, things change. I have seven weeks of quality training but it isn't enough to run with the kids at 5:20/5:18. At the moment this is where I was at."

At the turnaround, Donovan spurted ahead dropping Blatz and nudging ahead of Kolev. "It was nice to run through the mile nice and fast," said Donovan. "So I decided to take over and push as fast as I could. I just wanted to get a fast time today; felt like it was my time to make a move." Kolev never recovered and with his stride disintegrating he faded into the distance. "He put a surge on," Kolev said. "Tried to catch up with him at the end but couldn't. He just surged way too much at the end. I did my best."

Mathews continued her string of overwhelming local performances. After winning the Attleboro Rome Blvd. five mile in October by over nine minutes, she cruised to a two minute margin on Sunday over Hopkinton's Stephanie Whelan. The level of competition never detracts from her efforts. "I approach every race the same regardless of who's there and who's not there," she said. "I didn't know who was here; you never know. I'm not looking behind. I can hear people behind me and who knows who it
is. I don't know if it's a man or a woman. I'm just trying to run my race. I was trying to break 18. I did a half marathon last weekend so my legs were a little tired today. That's why I did the 5K instead of the five mile."

Powell was locked in a duel in the five mile with fellow Wampanoags Ben Coyle of Cumberland and Mansfield's Don Burke. "He (Coyle) caught me at a mile and a half then he pulled away a little from me and opened up a ten yard lead," said Powell, the Bishop Feehan assistant cross country coach. "I stayed with him (Coyle), behind him. Then just before the turnaround I caught up to him and we hammered back and forth and I was able to pull away just after three. I didn't think I was going to have it because I haven't been doing that much speedwork. I've been running with the Bishop Feehan girls and they're fantastic but I haven't been running sub 30 pace." Burke overtook Coyle for second place but was unable to topple Powell. "I had no chance of catching Paul, he was running way too smooth, way too fast."

The most competitive race of the day was the women's five mile where Bischoff nipped Mansfield's Marsha Whitman by three seconds. Bischoff employed the Elgar strategy of trailing early and winning late. "We were chasing off of one another. It was great to be out there following someone and keeping a good pace with them," said Bischoff. "The last two miles she took over," Whitman replied. "But I tried to hold it steady," Bischoff countered. "I saw you on the turn; I said 'Ooh she's strong, she's going to catch me'," Whitman professed. "I saw you on the turn and thought that's a good goal to go after so I tried to hold it together and keep going," Bischoff observed. "I put it on too late at the end," Whitman admitted. "I just wanted to finish steady," Bischoff replied. "I tried to on the last legs; didn't work," Whitman said. "Sorry," Bischoff commiserated. .

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