American sub-four minute miler and national US cross country team champion Stephen Pifer was a surprise entrant in Sunday’s Athletic Club 5K.

It meant that for the second time this year Bermuda’s long distance specialist Jay Donawa turned up for a domestic race where — barring a showdown with the Marshall brothers — he would have been favourite to win, only to face an upset at the hands of an unexpected American talent.

Pifer is so much the man of the moment that, no sooner had he won Sunday morning’s race, than he had to dash off before the prize-giving ceremony to fly back the States in order to meet US President George W. Bush in Washington DC today.

The strapping six-footer arrived in Bermuda on Thursday intending to compete in his first triathlon, but the event at Clearwater Beach was cancelled and so Pifer decided to squeeze in the 5K before his noon flight back to New York.

Although there was another big domestic name in the field, former multi-May 24 champ Kavin Smith, the race quickly became a head-to-head between Donawa and Pifer as the two ran off one another’s shoulders along Cedar Avenue, St. John’s Road and on to Berkeley Road hill. By this point Pifer, who ran a 3:59 mile last year, was pulling away from Donawa and the track specialist eventually stretched away to stop the clock at 15 minutes and seven seconds.

The Colorado University athlete may have broken the 15-minute mark had he not stopped at the gates of Victoria Park. He did not realise there was another 10 metres to go to reach the official finish line.

Second-placed Donawa is now in his tapering period for the Island Games’ half marathon in Rhodes, Greece, in two weeks’ time, and found himself at a distinct disadvantage ranged against the US track specialist. He finished 40 seconds behind.

After the briefest of warm downs Pifer hopped on a scooter to catch his New York-bound flight, missing the prize-giving as a result.

Speaking by phone from the US city later in the afternoon, the 22-year-old told the Royal Gazette: “I was looking forward to making my triathlon debut as I have a string swimming background. I was a little disappointed it was cancelled. So I decided to do the 5K.”

Pifer is a friend of Carl Kinney, the Boulder, Colorado-based runner who was a surprise entrant of the Fairmont-to-Fairmont 7.2-mile race in January where he prevented Donawa from clocking up his eighth consecutive win in that event.

He was a member of the University of Colorado cross country team which won the US national title this season, hence his invitation to meet President Bush along with other national champion teams at the White House today.

Heading for a relaxing hot tub at the famous Watergate Hotel in Washington, Pifer said of the race: “I was hoping to get under 15 minutes but I came up a little bit short. I didn’t realise the race finished inside the park and I stopped and started walking (at the gate) and someone shouted ‘you can’t stop yet’.”

Donawa was relaxed about having to pay second fiddle to another US athlete and one who, like Kinney in January, was brought to the Island by Dyrone Minors. Minors, Kinney and Pifer once all worked in the same sports shop in Boulder.

“Today I was really surprised,” said Donawa. “I thought it was going to be the usual Athletic Club 5K, not one of the biggest races by local standards. But the Island is a tourist attraction and you get visitors like this gentleman who was at a different level to me in terms of running a short fast race.”

After finishing second in the May 24 Half-Marathon Derby, his eighth runner-up placing in the Island’s main road race, Donawa has kept his focus on the 13.1-mile distance in order to prepare of the Island Games. He recently took eight days out of his schedule while in Trinidad.

The father-of-two, whose wife is expecting a third child sometime in July, said: “I’m pleased with my run. I don’t have the speed at the moment to compete at 5K by my fitness is still high.”

Donawa will partner Terrance Armstrong in the Island Games half-marathon. Both athletes are being sponsored by another well-known Bermuda distance runner and businessman Ricky Sousa, who was fifth yesterday.

In the women’s race Alison Harvey proved that despite preferring much longer distances she still has a good turn of speed and finished 16th overall in 20:24.

The 5K run attracted a field of 80 finishers, including two runners from South Africa one of whom, Stephane Velleman, was second woman home.

In the 5k walk first home was Sinclair Smith in 32:35, two seconds ahead of Anna Eatherley.