RUNNINGCOLUMN,ROBROSE

When you venture over to the Sheehy residence in North

Attleboro on a Saturday morning, it doesn't look much different

than any other scene where runners congregate before they embark

on their run. Cars are parked up and down Pine Bough Road for

those arriving by that means of transportation. Others appear on

foot, some coming overland through lawns and adjoining woods.

Runners are stretching, consuming fluids and chatting about the

impending outing. However, there is one particular thing that

does stand out. Most of the runners are women.

"Sandy Sheehy has quickly become the Godmother of women

running in this area," said North Attleboro's Jim Morris. "A

transplanted midwesterner with a fiery passion for running and

competition, she has taken legions of women runners under her

wing in just the past few years." ^For her contribution to

women's running in the area, Sheehy leads off the selections for

the 2006 edition of 'Runners of the Year'. She has an infectious

enthusiasm and vibrant personality that has proven to be a

magnet for women runners of all abilities to come together.

"She was one of the founders of the 'Bettys' running group

which has won several team competitions including Reach the

Beach, Cape Cod Marathon Relay as well as high placements in

many area races," continued Morris. "Running is not the only

thing that Sandy is known for. When one of her neighbors was

seriously injured in an accident Sandy initiated a yard crew to

redo her entire yard so that her friend would have something

nice to look at while she recuperated."

The other Runners of the Year for 2006 are:

Dave Binns (Attleboro) - Will the Attleboro Y races cease to

exist when Dave Binns stops running them? Since he has been

present and competing for all thirty years that the event has

been held, no one knows. Only persistence, luck and good

planning have allowed the streak to stay intact. One year, he

stripped off his dress clothes at the conclusion of his son's

first communion to arrive at the start, which was conveniently

delayed a few minutes by race director Bob Withers. There's no

end in sight. Year 31 will be on May 5.

Ryan Collins (Mansfield) - Scholastic athletes usually don't

get a place here because they receive their awards and accolades

elsewhere. But when you win the MIAA Division 2 Meet, the MIAA

State Meet and finish 17th at the Foot Locker National

Championships, as the Mansfield High School senior did, an

exception must be made.

Meghan O'Brien (Plainville) - Running in April's Boston

Marathon, O'Brien accomplished something that is rarely done.

Starting far in arrears as a non-qualifier running for Team in

Training, she circumnavigated the course and ran 3:39, a Boston

qualifying time. It's difficult enough to qualify at Boston when

you are situated closer to the front but to do so as a

non-qualifier is an accomplishment indeed.

Kevin Fitzgibbon (Mansfield) - Thirteen is his lucky number.

Over the course of the last year, Fitzgibbon went into

get-serious mode, increasing his mileage, modifying his diet and

adding weight training to his repertoire. Under the guidance of

Zen Master Kham, Fitzgibbon dropped a pound for every previous

(13) marathon he has run. It paid off when he qualified for

Boston at the Philadelphia Marathon with a 3:32:59 in November.

Patti Mullen & Trish Moore (Wrentham) - A year ago, the duo

was searching for a way into the Boston Marathon. They tried to

obtain numbers from several charities to raise funds but none

were available. The only avenue into the race that late in the

year was the old fashioned way ..... qualify. The pair went into

two minute warning mode, trained diligently and then entered the

Tampa Marathon just weeks before Boston where they both

qualified.

Lynn Peirce (North Attleboro) - Involved in a horrific

accident with an SUV on Plain St. in March while training for

the Boston Marathon, she sustained injuries so severe that she

had to be heliported to a Boston hospital. A return to life,

functioning as she did before the accident, was the only

concern. She surprised us all. A relentless persistence has led

to an almost inconceivable recovery. Eight months later she is

back running, up to three miles on the track.

Lynn Johnson (North Attleboro) - A pattern has emerged in the

past couple of years when Johnson runs a local race. She usually

puts in three to six miles before the race, competes in a 5K or

five mile then runs six to nine miles afterwards. The

interesting footnote to this, is that she usually wins the race.

It occurred in November when she won the Billy Kelly Five Mile,

which was just the middle of a 16 mile training day. This was a

repeat of her 2004 Billy Kelly day, where she won the 5K in an

identical manner. In 2005, she won the Foxboro Y 5K with this

maneuver and came up just short at the Runaways 5 Mile. She also

won the Attleboro Y 10K, Tiger Turkey Chase and Dean College 10K

this year. Her talent and feats of resilience illustrate why she

is the top female runner in the area.

Runners of the Year banquet will be on January 25, Details to

follow.