ON BLOOMSDAY, IT'S QUEEN JEAN DRISCOLL ROLLS ALONG TO HER EIGHTH

It's time to make it official, the real Lilac queen is Jean Driscoll.

For the seventh straight year, the charming 29-year-old from Champaign, Ill., followed her victory in the Boston Marathon with a victory in the women's open wheelchair division of the Lilac Bloomsday Run.

It was the eighth straight, and maybe easiest, Bloomsday win for Driscoll. She finished in 32 minutes, 42 seconds, well off her course record (31:24) but well ahead of runner-up Tracy Miller (44:48).

"It never gets boring," Driscoll said. "Every year, you come in with a clean slate. What you've done in other years doesn't matter. Once I got away, it was a battle with the clock, and I think the clock beat me."

That doesn't happen very often.

"I train hard, so I race hard," she said. "I always want to see what shape I'm in. That's wonderful motivation."

Her motivation now is the Olympics, both the regular summer games and the Paralympics immediately following in Atlanta.

The Paralympics Trials are Thursday through Sunday in Atlanta. Driscoll hopes to make the wheelchair 800-meter exhibition for the regular Olympics and then make the 800, 1,500 and 5,000 meters, and maybe the marathon, for the Paralympics.

Bound for Boston?

Driscoll likes to tell fellow Bloomies that a good run here means that a good Boston is bound to follow since, after every Bloomsday win in May, she has followed with a Boston Marathon win the next April.

Even if she wins Boston for an eighth time, it might be hard to beat No. 7.

"Boston was awesome, even if it was my slowest time ever there," she said. "Every victory there is euphoric, but most time my emotions don't come up. This time, I lost it several times."

She said the root of the emotion was a combination of being in the 100th Boston Marathon, tying Clarence DeMar's seven victories, and having the pressure of being favored.

"I was so tired," she said. "But I needed to prove I could handle it."

She did, just like winning Bloomsday.

Jones sets personal best

At 38, Spokane's Kim Jones recorded her best time ever in this race at 40:28, which beat her previous best of 41:52 set last year. This year's mark put her in fifth place in the elite field of 10. She also finished fifth last year.

Sunday's finish was good for $1,500.

"I felt really good today," Jones said. "That first mile was under 5 minutes - like 4:58 - and the second mile was under 5 as well. I didn't have any really bad spots. I was able to maintain my position and jockeyed with Olga Markova."

Markova held on to edge out Jones with a 40:18 time, which netted her $2,500.

Going for the gold

Don't get Paul Wiggins wrong, he has a lot of respect for the Lilac Bloomsday Run, but this year's race was just a bump on the road - the road to Olympic glory.

"Basically, the Olympics are all that matter this year," Wiggins said after easily winning the men's open wheelchair division. "My long-term goal is to win the Paralympics marathon. I didn't upset my training schedule to get here. I just toned down a little the last week. When I come to the Paralympics, I want to be a lot stronger, a lot fitter."

The 33-year old from Tasmania, Australia, finished in 27:23, nearly 2 minutes behind his record time of last year.

Still, he beat eight-time champion and rival Craig Blanchette by 4:08.

"It was really easier than I thought," Wiggins said. "I think what happened is that I'm pretty fit this year, maybe not as fit this year as last year, but I don't think Craig is in shape.

"At the half-mile mark, I was 5 meters ahead. It doesn't take long to make it 15 to 20 meters so I just hammered. Craig was not to be seen again."

Wiggins expects Blanchette and many other competitors to be back to make it a battle next year, when the focus won't be on the Paralympics, which are the week after the regular Olympics and also in Atlanta.

"In previous years, Craig has been the man to beat. He dominated this race a lot of years," Wiggins said. "It would have been fun with more competition. It will be different next year because 14 of the first 20 from last year are not here this year. They'll all be back next year, and I'll be with them."

Blanchette, who turns 28 on May 14, admitted he isn't in the shape he likes to be in. He said poor weather in recent months has disrupted his training.

"It's been a rough winter, and it shows now," Blanchette said. "At the same time, Paul is in incredible shape."

Tuesday, Blanchette heads to Atlanta for Paralympics time trials, and at the end of the month, will square off against Wiggins in the Bolder Boulder Race at Boulder, Colo. Blanchette enters that race as its defending champion.

No skates allowed

Spokane Chiefs hockey coach Mike Babcock came across the line in a swift 50 minutes, 23 seconds, although he admitted he'd rather be in Brandon, Manitoba, playing Game 7 of the Western Hockey League title series.

Unfortunately for Babcock, Brandon claimed the title last week by winning four of five games.

Didn't the playoffs keep him from training? "That Portland series was so stressful, the only way I could relax was by running," Babcock said. "So I got a lot of training in."

Blossoms

Didier Touant of Marseilles, France, who finished fourth in the men's wheelchair, recently won a 24-hour marathon. He covered 315 kilometers in 24 hours. It took him 33:42 to cover 12k on Sunday. ... Tyler Byers of Spokane was eighth in the men's open wheelchair division and earned $150. At 13, he is the youngest male to get a check.... LeAnn Shannon of Orange Park, Fla., was 12 last year when she finished third in the women's open wheelchair division. She did not compete this year.... The only record was set by Clayton Gerein, who won the wheelchair quadriplegic T-2 race in 37:18. He bettered the record he set last year by 10 seconds. He has won three straight races here.... Driscoll had the fourth fastest wheelchair time, men or women. Accepting her award, she said, "It's fun to beat the boys. I am woman."

Copyright 1996 Cowles Publishing Company
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