Levy wins BAA's 1st half-marathon

    
By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff, 10/15/2001

s Wayne Levy headed down the last mile in the inaugural Boston Athletic Association Half-Marathon yesterday, he saw Terry Shea was right behind him.

Since the BAA members train together and have run marathons together, Levy knew what to expect. But he kept a steady stride and sailed over the finish line at Roberto Clemente Park in the Fens in 1 hour 10 minutes 57 seconds. Shea finished just six seconds later.

Sarah Nixon of Medfield won the women's race in 1:21:16. She ran the Boston and Paris marathons earlier this year but didn't think she was prepared for yesterday's race.

''I haven't done a lot of races or a lot of training lately, so this was a real surprise,'' said Nixon, 37. ''But I love this weather and I'm very competitive, so no matter what training I've done, when I get to that starting line I'm going to run as hard as I can and just see what happens.''

Temperatures were in the 50s, and a mist stayed with the runners for all 13.1 miles as they made their way up the Riverway, past the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park, and back to the finish at the track in Clemente Park.

Levy and Shea - along with two other BAA members, Tim Harte and Ryan LaFleur, plus Paul Gompers - bolted in front of the 2,524 other runners to form a lead pack as soon as the starting airhorn sounded.

The group seemed unwilling to break apart until the front-runners left the Franklin Park Zoo and started heading down the Jamaicaway.

''Those guys kicked it up, and when I caught up with them, it just made sense to keep going as opposed to settling back into your pace,'' said Levy, 36, of Watertown. ''Then at 9 miles, Tim and I just broke away and kept it going.''

Levy, who is director of community relations for the Boston Celtics, heard someone shout, ''Go, Celtics!'' as he passed the 11-mile mark. But the former Connecticut high school cross-country and New England collegiate champion in the 10,000 meters when he was at the University of Massachusetts had more on his mind.

Sure enough, he glanced over his shoulder to see Shea just behind him.

''I could hear [him], I could feel him, and I wasn't sure if he was closing in. I was just trying to get a gauge,'' said Levy. ''The last thing you want is for him to all of a sudden be right there.''

Four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers, who wore bib No. 1, was supposed to take off with the first group. But Rodgers, who finished in 1:20:31, was delayed because he took mercy on someone who had forgotten his running shoes. He ran to his car to get his training shoes to lend the runner, and ended up shuttled into the group of 10-minute-milers.

Rodgers, 53, who used to live in Jamaica Plain, was familiar with the roads in the Fens, and dubbed the Half-Marathon ''a perfect racing course.''

Tim Kelly of Weymouth was the top wheelchair racer in 1:06:46.

This story ran on page D11 of the Boston Globe on 10/15/2001.