STEVE DAWES outsprinted his mentor Alan Rowe to slice 10sec. off his personal best in winning last evening’s Healthspan GIAAC 5,000m championship race at Foote’s Lane. The best domestic field assembled for a 5km race drove Dawes to a winning time of 15-26.7 and 10th place on the island’s all-time list.

Dawes, Rowe, Lee Garland and Mark Mercier were separated by just 5m for the first 3,000m, at which point the youngster was dropped.

Garland stayed in contention until the last 600m and Dawes’ kick with 180m to go brought no great response from the veteran Rowe.

‘I generally felt I’d be quicker over the last two [hundred],’ said Dawes, who wants to run sub 15-20 by the end of the season.

‘I felt comfortable until the last two or three laps when Al started to make his presence felt,’ the winner added.

Rowe, 41, clocked 15-29.1, 39 seconds outside his best for the distance recorded as a 30-year-old.

Garland ripped 12sec. off his personal best for third in 15-44.1.

In the women’s race, Louise Perrio won comfortably in 17-29.2, just a couple of seconds outside her recent island best.

Danny Carre won the accompanying 3,000m race in 9-57.2 while Robin Cowling claimed the island long jump title with a best of 6.12m to finish 7cm ahead of Isle of Man guest Phil Riley.