Anne Johnston, Matt Loiselle this year's Tely 10 champs
Chilly temps and cool weather 'ideal' for running, racers say
Amidst bleak skies and 12 C temperatures, nearly 4,700 runners took to the streets Sunday for the 88th annual Tely 10 road race.
Anne Johnston from St. John's was the female champion, with an official time of 58:58. This was her first time running the race in six years; she won in 2004 with a time of 58:52.
Johnston said she was surprised that her time this year was on par with her previous races.
"I didn't think I had it in me anymore, but I did. I've always loved running and just been battling injuries, and have young families and dealing with pregnancies and trying to come back from that," said Johnston.
"It felt awesome the whole way through, and I'm really happy with it all."
This is also Loiselle's second time winning the Tely 10, after a slightly faster finish in 2012.
"I was satisfied, I guess. I would have like to run a little quicker," he said.
Loiselle was alone for most of the race, leading the pack by a significant distance.
"A couple of guys went out pretty quick, but by the first turn I caught them. It was just me and a cop car the rest of the way," he said.
"The longer the distance the more you've got to expect to run alone, so you can't really complain about that."
Loiselle said he will spend the rest of the summer training for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October, where he hopes to make Olympic qualifying times.
Although chilly for spectators, runners said the cool July conditions couldn't have been better. Last year, Tely 10 temperatures were in the mid-20s and about 30 runners suffered heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
For the race winners, the colder temperatures were welcome.
"The weather was ideal. Couldn't have asked for better conditions," said Johnston.
"I like the cold temperatures," agreed Loiselle. "I came from Ontario, where it was in the 40s last week. It was actually perfect for racing."
The annual ten-mile (16-kilometre) road race spans from McNamara Drive in Paradise to Bannerman Road in St. John's.