Records Run For Cover On Bloomsday Wiggins Ends Blanchette’s Winning Streak, Driscoll Extends Hers In Wheelchair Races

With no zip, Craig Blanchette got zapped.

The dominating and popular wheelchair racer had his string of Bloomsday wins end at eight when Australian Paul Wiggins rolled to a record-shattering win in the 12-kilometer race Sunday morning.

“I just didn’t have much zip on top (of Doomsday Hill),” Blanchette said. “I started climbing the hill and decided not to go all out to save a little through the neighborhood. At the top of the hill, I had to go 100 percent to stay with him. But I just couldn’t do it.”

Wiggins covered the 7.46 miles in 25 minutes, 28 seconds, 1:20 faster than Blanchette and a minute, 56 seconds faster than the record established last year when the two engaged in a spirited dual. Wiggins filed a protest that was denied after Blanchette beat him by a second last year.

“It was something I really wanted to do because of last year,” Wiggins said. “I knew after my showing last year I could win. I knew the only way to beat Craig is to keep pace up and not to lose too much on hills. His strength is the hills.”

Blanchette, 26, who now lives in Cheney, had hoped to win 10 straight Bloomsday titles.

“He really came in on fire and he had something to prove,” Blanchette said of Wiggins. “It’s becoming harder drive, winning her seventh straight race by just almost two minutes, lowering and harder to put my heart on the line for races. I used to be able to really push it.”

Jean Driscoll still has the drive, winning her seventh straight race by almost 2 minutes, lowering the course record to 31:24.

“It wasn’t too close, I prefer it that way,” the Champaign, Ill., racer said. “I worked hard on the hills. I wanted to stay ahead. Even though I had a big lead, I kept the throttle down.”

Driscoll, 28, first won Bloomsday in 1989 in record time and went on to win the Boston Marathon the next spring in record time. Each year she set a course record, until last year, and each time lowered her Boston Marathon record the following spring, except last year.

“This sets the tone for Boston,” she said. “I guess this means Boston is mine.”

Louise Sauvage, 20, of Australia, was second in the women’s race at 33:14, followed by 12-year old LeAnn Shannon of Orange Park, Fla., in 34:29.

Clayton Gerein of Regina, Saskatchewan won the T-2 race in 37:28 and Bart Dodson of Murfreesboro, Tenn., won the T-1, for the most disabled participants, in 1:03.06.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Dave Trimmer Staff writer Mike Bond contributed to this story.