In his heydey as a first-class runner in the 1930s and 1940s, PaulA. Donato was described in a book about the Boston Marathon aslooking more like the strong man in the circus than a runner. But Mr.Donato finished in the top 10 of the Boston Marathon four times, andwas competitive in dozens more races.
Mr. Donato, a 'quiet and unassuming man,' according to his sonPaul G., of Lynnfield, died May 8 at Mease Continuing Care inDunedin, Fla., of congestive heart failure. He was 88.
'He was a little man with a big body and a bigger head,' TomDerderian wrote of Mr. Donato in his definitive 'Boston Marathon.'Derderian quotes the late Boston Globe sports columnist, Jerry Nason,as describing Mr. Donato as 'squat, broad-chested, short legged. . .. [He] might easily pass as the strong man in the circus.'
Mr. Donato earned a spot as first alternate on the US OlympicMarathon Team in 1940, but the Olympics was canceled because of WorldWar II. From 1942 to 1945, Mr. Donato served as an Army electricianin battle zones in France, Italy, and Germany.
Formerly of Lynnfield and Medford, Mr. Donato moved to Clearwater,Fla., in 1979 when he retired after 43 years as an electrician forGeneral Electric at the Riverworks Plant in Lynn.
Mr. Donato was born in Boston and lost his mother, two brothers,and sister to the flu epidemic of 1918.
Mr. Donato's father took him back to his native Sicily. His fathernever returned to the States, but Mr. Donato came back at age 16 tolive with an aunt.
Several years later, while working in a warehouse, Mr. Donatoglanced out the window as some runners passed by, his son said. 'Thenext day he found out something about their race and its course andtried it himself.'
He didn't stop running competitively until decades later, aftercompleting the 1955 Boston Marathon. His best finish was fifth place,in the 1938 and 1940 races.
Early in his running career, he ran races under the flag of theBoys Club of Boston, now the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. At theclub he also excelled in boxing and wrestling.
Mr. Donato once told his son how difficult it had been in his dayfor a runner on the streets of Boston, because of the snow andmotorists. 'People didn't understand runners in those days, Dad said. . . He had some close calls, but was never injured.'
In 1937, Mr. Donato won the Mount Washington Road Race in NewHampshire, completing the 7.6 miles up the mountain in 1 hour, 16minutes, and 25 seconds, Bob Teschek, the race director, saidTuesday.
Mr. Donato's name is one of only four inscribed on the originalwinner's trophy of the Mount Washington race, which started in 1936and has been run intermittently since.
That win earned Mr. Donato an invitation to run the Pike's PeakRoad Race in Colorado the same year. 'They sent him $300 for travelexpenses, but instead of using it on himself, Dad invited two otherrunners to go out there with him.'
The trio were so tight for money, Paul said, that they rode westin Mr. Donato's car, slept by the side of the road, and 'ate beans byan open fire.'
One of the men, Pat Dengis of Baltimore, beat out Mr. Donato towin the race.
In 1998, Mr. Donato was honorary starter for the Mount Washingtonrace. He gave a speech at the bottom of the mountain, and greetedrunners at the top.
Paul was among them. He said he ran 'to understand in a small waywhat my Dad experienced.'
In addition to his son, Mr. Donato leaves his wife, Marie E.(Michalak), and two grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be said at 9 a.m. Monday at St. Maria GorettiChurch in Lynnfield. Burial will be at St. Michael Cemetery inRoslindale.
