Two former Scarborough High runners shared the spotlight Sunday at the 86th annual Boys & Girls Club Patriots Day 5-Miler.

Chris Harmon, 27, was the overall winner for the second year in a row with a time of 25 minutes, 56 seconds. Erica Jesseman, 26, finished first in the female division in 28:05 and placed 5th overall.

Chris Harmon, 27, of Portland approaches the finish line to victory in the Patriots Day 5-Miler in Portland on Sunday. Harmon won the race for the second straight year. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Harmon, wearing bib No. 207, shaved 55 seconds off his 2014 time.

“It was a coincidence (the bib number), but I knew it was a good omen to get ‘207’ for Maine’s oldest road race,” said Harmon.

Harmon didn’t have a qualifying time for Monday’s Boston Marathon because his marathon debut – a second-place finish at the Maine Marathon last October – came after Boston’s qualifying period ended. He plans to compete in Boston next year.

Jesseman, on the other hand, did have a Boston qualifying time but chose to run the Patriots Day 5-Miler for first time since 2006, when she was a junior in high school. She also raced Saturday in the Boston Athletic Association 5K, finishing 11th in the women’s division behind American winner Molly Huddle, four Ethiopians and five Kenyans.

“I’m tired from that,” Jesseman said of Saturday’s race. “I definitely felt it the last couple miles. I am exhausted.

“But (the Patriots Day 5 Miler) is such a fun race, it’s in my home state, and I haven’t been able to do it because the last couple years I’ve had the Boston Marathon.”

Jesseman is focusing on speed work as she prepares for the 2016 Olympic marathon trials in January in Los Angeles.

“I have the ‘B’ standard for the Olympic trials,” said Jesseman, a three-time Hartford Marathon champion. “In the fall I’d like to run another marathon and try to get the ‘A’ standard. I ran 2:38 in Hartford two years ago and the ‘A’ standard is sub-2:37. In the trials, I’d like to run in the low 2:30s.”

Harmon and Jesseman have maintained a friendship through running. Nowadays they’re teammates on the Dirigo Running Club.

“I was one year ahead of her (in school), but she was one year ahead of me mentally,” Harmon said with a laugh. “She went to UNH and I went to (the University of Maine), so we’ve always been family, even when we’re rivals.”

“We’re really good friends,” said Jesseman. “We go way back. He’s awesome, I really enjoy his company. He’s a great friend, a great teammate, and it’s great to see all of these Dirigo runners here.”

Ryan Jara, 27, and Claton Conrad, 32, both of Portland and the Dirigo team, rounded out the top three men’s finishers. Jara finished in 26:49, six seconds ahead of Conrad, the 2008 Patriots Day champion.

“It wasn’t a coincidence,” Harmon said of the top three finishers being members of Dirigo. “We’ve been doing hard workouts every week, trying to build a really good team.”

Jenna Krajewski, 35, of Hallowell placed second among women with a time of 28:39. Marah Borgman, 30, of Portland took third in 31:55.

The Patriots Day 5-Miler is Maine’s oldest race and is among the oldest in New England, dating back to 1930. Race director Tony Myatt says the number of competitors has been declining but he hopes that turns around soon. There were 302 finishers this year.

“We just haven’t been getting the numbers lately,” said Myatt. “We’re really trying to keep our price reasonable and amenities plentiful afterward. We have corporate teams, club teams, open teams, we’re getting more people from that, but the numbers are our No. 1 concern.

“In the future, we’re going to try to market the corporate teams and the club teams more.”

Yarmouth’s Dennis Smith, 65, competed for the 42nd straight year, finishing in 42:05. Not to be outdone, Dennis Morrill, 75, of Portland ran for the 46th consecutive year and the 49th time overall.

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