Francis wins back-to-back Seacoast Seven titles By Steve Maniaci Gloucester Daily Times John Francis wasn't thinking about his Gloucester High cross country team or defending his Seacoast Seven title. He wasn't thinking about the race course or Saturday morning's weather conditions. Instead, the 16-year-old treated the third annual event like any other run he would take around Gloucester. The strategy paid off as Francis won his second consecutive Seacoast Seven in 42:11. Francis won last year's event in 43:55. His time was 1:11 better than Gloucester's Chris Johnson, who finished second in 43:22. Tanya Bentley won the women's race in 48:48. The 36-year-old Wellesley resident finished 17 seconds ahead of Cambridge's Holly Parker, who placed second in 49:05. Martha Magel was the top Cape Ann female finisher. The 37-year-old Gloucester resident placed fourth in the female event in 54:15. Francis said being challenged for the first few miles got him more focused on race. "It is tough running on your own," Francis said. "Being pushed the first few miles helped because I had something to shoot for. After a few miles, I was able to pace myself to the finish I was looking for. I was happy with my race." Bentley said her goal was to run 7-minute miles. While she was unfamiliar with the course layout, Bentley felt 7-minute miles would give her a shot at winning. Bentley averaged 6:59 on the 7-mile course, which began and ended at Stage Fort Park and saw the runners turn left onto Essex Avenue and down toward Little River Grocery. They turned left onto Magnolia Avenue and proceeded left onto Western Avenue, heading back toward the finish at Stage Fort Park. "This is not a bad little course" Bentley said. "I have run in Gloucester before so I knew it was going to be hilly in some spots. But I also knew it was going to be a beautiful course. My family and I spend a lot of time in Gloucester during the summer, so it's nice to be able to win an event here." Francis said winning was secondary to him. What made the event special was that proceeds of the race help support the Seacoast nursing home. "Being able to help people makes this race worth it," Francis said. "It is a tough course, but this is for such a great cause. It's an honor to run in this event and support the city of Gloucester." The race also saw a spike in competitors as 95 runners completed the event. The race only had 44 runners finish last year. Only 19 of the 95 runners were from Cape Ann. Past champions Male Year Winner Time 2004 Ian Nurse 39:42 2005 John Francis 43:55 2006 John Francis 42:11 Female Year Winner Time 2004 Jennifer Rapaport 45:31 2005 Caroline Owen 46:11 2006 Tanya Bentley 48:48