BEVERLY — As he drew closer to recent Beverly High School graduate Jason Provost with about 1000 yards to go on a humid Thursday night, one thought went through David Plotkin’s head.
“I was thinking that if I have to go to the (finish) line with someone half my age, he’s going to outkick me for sure,” the 37-year-old said with a laugh. “So I had to put on a little surge there.”
Plotkin, also a Beverly resident, did just that. He sprinted into the lead and didn’t stop until he crossed the finish line in a time of 17:04 to win this year’s Beverly YMCA Homecoming 5K. In doing so, he beat Provost by three seconds.
The battle for the women’s top spot also came down to a pair of high school standouts as Grace Corbett broke away to win in 19:07, toppling fellow Garden City runner Adelaide Sweatman’s 19:22.
In all, 567 entrants took part in this annual event, which began and ended at Lynch Park and was part of Beverly’s Homecoming festivities.
Provost, a Salem News all-star runner for the Panthers (with a 5K PR of 15:49) who is headed off to the University of New Hampshire to study finance and hopefully walk on to the track and field team, said Thursday was his first run since his final race of the spring high school season. He took the lead from former BHS teammate Cam Nolin (3rd place, 17:13) about halfway through the course and at that point was in good shape.
Plotkin, however, had a plan.
“I sat behind him shamelessly the whole time,” Plotkin, who works in atmospheric science, admitted. “I’m a marathon runner so aerobically I was fine, but I had done a morning workout and my legs were done. I didn’t have much left.”
One Plotkin passed him, Provost said he knew he wasn’t catching the redhead.
“I knew you had it,” he told Plotkin afterwards. “You weren’t breathing hard at all. His fitness is much better than mine right now.”
Still, when he found out it was Plotkin’s first time running in two months and his still finished second overall, Plotkin remarked “For the record, that’s absolutely bonkers.”
Two other young runners, Ronan Maloney (17:33) and Jack Casey (17:35) rounded out the top five.
Corbett, a 16-year-old going into her junior year at Beverly High, and Sweatman, a 17-year-old senior-to-be at Bishop Fenwick, were close to each other throughout Thursday’s trek before Corbett pulled away late.
Having come straight from her job at the Manchester Sailing Association, Corbett said she was busy getting herself to Lynch Park beforehand and not really worried about who she might be going up against.
“I wanted to use this race as a placeholder to get ready for (high school cross country) season,” she said. “It worked out really well; Adelaide really pushed me.”
Sweatman led the race for much of the way, with Corbett hot on her heels. When the younger distance ace made her move, she was able to pull away.
“I was hoping to finish somewhere between 19:10 and 19:30 and I did, so that’s a good time in this weather at the start of the season,” Sweatman noted.
“It was a little hotter tonight than last year for sure; more than in the last few years, actually,” she continued. “But I like the course; it’s fast with only two hills, and a good test.”
Rounding out the top five female finishers were Tara Chaplin in 19:38 (“I couldn’t keep up with those two young girls,” she chuckled) in third place, Lucy Fuchter (20:52) in fourth and another teenager, Michelle Oh, in fifth (21:24).
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