Sean Colligan didn’t learn his lesson at last year’s Goffstown Gallop. But at this year’s 5.2-mile run, he took the rest of the field to school.

After finishing second behind an invited guest in 2007, Colligan once again chanced fate.

“I actually invited more people this year,” he said. Still, on Saturday, June 28, Colligan left both his buddies – and everyone else – in the dust.

He won the 29th annual Goffstown Gallop with a time of 28 minutes, 13.375 seconds, bettering last year’s mark by 54 seconds and finishing more than 18 seconds ahead of Bedford’s Jason Porter, who is 20 years his senior.

“I knew I could win it if I was at my best,” said Colligan. “I’ve been training more, doing higher mileage this year. I have more experience.”

Colligan, who graduated from Goffstown High School in June, plans to compete in cross country at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. “I’ll be back next year,” he added. “Gotta repeat.”

In fact, while the majority of the 170-plus person field were Goffstown residents, dozens of runners competed from across New Hampshire and even other states.

“It’s a family event. A lot of people that come here come year after year after year,” said Dave French, the Goffstown Parks and Recreation director who organizes the Gallop each year.

“That’s a testimony to the atmosphere of the race. It’s an old-fashioned race. We don’t do computer chips, we hand out tongue depressors (at the finish line). We’re one of the oldest races in New Hampshire ... More than anything else it’s a tradition.”

Count Bedford’s Barth Getto as one participant happy to get away from modern competition for a day. The 46-year-old regularly competes in triathlons.

“(The Gallop) is kind of laid back. It’s not as crazy as some of the big races,” said Getto. “It was definitely more fun. When you do these triathlons, people are crazy. You know, they come with $5,000 bikes and these pointed helmets. This is more of a social thing ... It’s all about heart.”

Bow’s Margaret Burns and Pembroke’s Joanne Welch have been running mates for eight years. They’re currently preparing for a half marathon in Quebec in August. “It’s a good training run,” said Welch of the Gallop. “It’s a nice distance for a Saturday morning. It’s a good tempo run.”

“It’s more of a community event,” said Burns. “It’s kind of competitive, and if you want to go for a run, it’s better to do it with other people rather than by yourself,” No one traveled farther to participate than French’s daughter, Heather.

The 24-year-old, who served as the race’s starter from childhood through high school, returned from her home in Florida to run the race for the first time.

“My dad is getting close to retirement, and I just wanted to run it for him because who knows when his last Goffstown Gallop will be,” she said, adding that training in Florida is much different than running in New Hampshire.

“I was training in 95-degree weather and 100-percent humidity,” she continued. “I’m not used to running with all the hills, but it was a really gratifying feeling when I crossed the finish line.”

Another Floridian, Dean Riley, a former Goffstown and Bedford resident, also returned to compete.

“He ran the race before and knows it’s the same weekend every year,” said the elder French. “I really appreciate the runners coming back each year. I really do. It’s great for them. It’s great for us.”