Ely, Pimentel take (marathon) break with titles

ANDOVER - For a pair of local marathoners, the Larry Robinson 10-Miler and Alex Miliotis 5K at Andover High School yesterday morning under ideal cool and clear running conditions proved to be a boost of confidence.

Both former Andover High track standout Matt Ely, who coasted to first in the 10-Miler with a comfortable time of 55:19, and 5K winner and former Austin Prep star Matt Pimentel of Andover (15:54) had focused on qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials (sub-2:20) at last month's Chicago Marathon only to be denied by the extreme 90-degree heat.

Pimentel, a member of the Merrimack Valley Striders, knew early that it would be a wasted effort at Chicago and dropped out after five miles, while Ely lasted until the 17-mile mark.

"I was on 2:25 pace for 12 miles, but then I gradually slowed down," said Ely, who ran at UMass Amherst and now lives in Cambridge. "At 17 miles, I knew it (qualifying) just wasn't going to happen so I dropped out.

"But the heat and the race took a lot out of me. I haven't raced since then ... I wanted to jump into a race for fun and this seemed ideal, being a good distance and a home-town race. I ran nice and relaxed and feel pretty good about it."

Ely, 31, nearly qualified for the Trials earlier in the year when he ran a 2:22:08 at the Houston Marathon. But now he'll need to wait a few years to qualify for the 2012 Trials.

The 24-year-old Pimentel, too, will need to wait, but he'll quickly be back on the marathon circuit. Next weekend, he'll take part in the Philadelphia Marathon and shoot for a 2:20. Chicago had been his first try at 26.2 miles.

"I consider this my last good workout before the race," said Pimentel. "If it wasn't next weekend, I would have run the 10-miler, but I didn't want to do too much."

Both Ely and Pimentel were runaway winners yesterday, but the women's races were much closer, particularly in the 5K where Chelmsford's Kara Haas ran a fine 17:48, finishing fifth overall, edging out Striders' teammates Molly Taber of Haverhill and Bradford's Melissa Donais, who took the next two places with times of 17:53 and 17:56.

"I was just trying to hang with my teammates and I was able to sprint past them a little bit," said Haas. "We work out together all the time so it's an advantage."

Haas, 37, was injured earlier in the year, but she's made a dramatic comeback, starting with the Bay State Marathon Oct. 14 at which she ran an excellent 2:55:22.

"But I like the shorter races," she said. "This was an excellent race for me."

Moreover, like many of yesterday's runners, Haas had extra motivation for competing in the 5K which, like the 10-miler, benefits cancer research at Dana Farber.

"My mother (Ann Molloy) was a patient at Dana Farber for several years, so I want to support it," she said.

Her mother, in fact, has made a full recovery from ovarian cancer and also ran the 5K yesterday, finishing second in the 60-69 age category.

Another Merrimack Valley Strider, Andover's Nina Caron, was the female winner in the 10-miler, coming in seventh overall with an excellent time of 1:01:58, which was two and a half minutes faster than last year's winner.

Many of the age group winners had better times than a year ago. Methuen's Andie Colon, who was the 5K runner-up, won the male 18-29 division with a 16:41, which was more than a minute faster than last year's winner at that division.

Also, Andover's Michael Primes, who was a repeat winner in the 17-and-under, ran an 18:15 this year compared to 18:43 a year ago. The 17-and-under winner in the 10-miler, sophomore Nick Schumacher, was Andover High's top finisher in the Division 1 Eastern Mass. race Saturday.

Last year's 5K female winner, Andover's Terri-Anne McGettrick, was fourth this year despite running the exact same time of 18:24.

Overall, there were nearly 800 finishers in the two races, which was the largest in the race's seven years of existence.

"It's a great race that fills a void at this time of year," said Haverhill's Dave LaBrode. "How many 10-milers are there, and how many good fall races are there? This is one of the best."

Larry Robinson 10-Miler Results

Top 10

1. Matt Ely 55:19, 2. Adam Littke 57:13, 3. Jeff Arbeit 59:35, 4. Tyler Brannen 1:01:03, 5. Steve Bosic 1:01:38, 6. Chris Spinney 1:01:51, 7. Nina Caron 1:01:58, 8. Peter Abdinoor 1:02:16, 9. Brian Reeves 1:02:38, 10. Gordon MacFarland 1:02:41

Top Woman

Nina Caron 1:01:58

Age Group Winners

Male

17-and-under - Nick Schumacher 1:04:04; 18-29 - Jeff Arbeit 59:35; 30-39 - Adam Littke 57:13, 40-49 - Chris Spinney 1:01:51; 50-59 - Gordon MacFarland 1:02:41; 60-69 - Bill Prentis 1:08:29; 70-and-over - George Bisson 1:23:42

Female

17-and-under - Kathryn Sullivan 1:15:02; 18-29 - Kaitlin Anelauskas 1:04:40; 30-39 - Amy Haas 1:03:30; 40-49 - Mimi Fallon 1:03:32; 50-59 - Linda Long 1:15:24

Alex Miliotis 5K Results

Top 10

1. Matt Pimentel 15:54, 2. Andie Colon 16:41, 3. Michael Sullivan 17:13, 4. Fabio Piergentili 17:41, 5. Kara Haas 17:48, 6. Molly Taber 17:53, 7. Melissa Donais 17:56, 8. Andrew Parker 18:04, 9. Paul Doe 18:04, 10. Michael Primes 18:15

Female Winner

Kara Haas 17:48

Age Group Winners

Male

17-and-under - Michael Primes 18:15; 18-29 - Andie Colon 16:41; 30-39 - Andrew Parker 18:04; 40-49 - Fabio Piergentili 17:41; 50-59 - John Lee 18:39; 60-69 - Steve Rosenberh 21:11; 70-and-over - Thomas Connelly 28:08

Female

17-and-under - Lauren Carter 22:21; 18-29 - Melissa Donais 17:56; 30-39 - Molly Taber 17:53; 40-49 - Terri Anne McGettrick 18:24; 50-59 - Linda Jennings 21:31; 60-69 - Mary Tyler 33:06; 70-and-over - Nancy Wilson 45:59

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