Fewer, Harvey win Tely 10

There were few surprises Sunday morning during the 81st running of The Telegram 10-Mile Road Race as pre-race favourites Colin Fewer and Lisa Harvey easily defended their titles, striding closer to their place in Tely 10 folklore.

A record 2,169 registered for the race, but a number of those runners and walkers failed to show at the start line, perhaps discouraged by the heavy rain which fell prior to the 8 a.m. start.

Of the entries, 2,049 finished the race.

One surprise came in the gender category. For the first time in race history, according to Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association technical director George Stanoev, females outnumbered their male counterparts 1,026 to 1,023.

The rain stopped in time for the start of the race, which began when Transcontinental Media president Natalie Lariviere fired the starter's pistol. But while conditions were ideal for the throngs of spectators lining the course, they were less than ideal for the competitors.

Temperatures reached 20 degrees at race time, but the humidity was at 79 per cent. Winds blew from the west at 30 kilometres per hour.

"It was very tough out there for the runners," Stanoev said. "The humidity was so high. It was horrible."

St. John Ambulance carted off five runners at the finish line and a couple more along the course, mainly for heat exhaustion and dehydration.

"In fact, they asked for more support at the finish line," Stanoev said.

For Fewer, the win marked his fourth straight Tely 10 title. Since the first race in 1922 (there was no racing from 1940-45 during the Second World War), only four runners have won four straight championships. The last to do so was Don Coaker, who won six straight from 1962-67.

"It's a special thing," said Fewer, a 31-year-old school teacher from Harbour Main. "Maybe it might take a few years to look back and say, 'Maybe I was a good runner.' I don't know.

"For now, I guess I'll let my racing and times speak for themselves."

Fewer finished in 51 minutes and 22 seconds, well off his winning time of 50:11 last season which he chalked up to the weather and a nagging foot injury.

But it was enough to win Sunday, as he finished 1:27 ahead of runner-up Adam Stacey, a 27-year-old from Moncton, N.B.

In fact, mainlanders took two of the top three spots Sunday, as Montreal's Graydon Snider came in third in 53:36. Snider, who finished ninth overall last year, clocked 53:36.

Grant Handrigan of Marystown, in 53:50, and Dean Alyward of Port aux Choix, in 54:40, rounded out the top five.

Harvey, the long-time national team member and 1992 Barcelona Olympics runner, finished an impressive ninth overall in 57:35. That's the fifth-fastest time ever run by a woman.

"I'm pretty happy with that," said the 38-year-old from Calgary who, like Fewer, is a teacher, "because I didn't think I was moving that fast. I thought I was suffering more than I was."

It was Harvey's third straight Tely 10 crown. The last runner to win that many in a row was Colleen Martin, who copped four straight from 1976-79.

Harvey, who is married to Paul McCloy of St. John's, a five-time Tely 10 champ, owns three of the top six times in Tely 10 history.

It wasn't even close among the women as Harvey finished 3:10 ahead of her nearest competitor, Kate Vaughan of St. John's, who stopped the clock in 1:00.45. Sarah Healey of Lethbridge was third in 1:02.40. Caroline McIlroy of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, the 2005 winner, was fourth in 1:03:06 and Amy Colbourne of St. John's was fifth in 1:03.26.

The race is growing bigger and bigger each year in terms of participation and Stanoev said within the next three to four years the provincial athletics association will be targeting 2,500 participants.

For the first time this year, cash prizes were awarded to the top three finishers - $750 each to Fewer and Harvey, $500 each to Stacey and Vaughan and $250 to Healey and Snider.

The NLAA, Stanoev said, will make about $30,000-$40,000 from the race, although he said the association incurred extra expenses this year, namely security fencing around the finish line, additional signage and a sound stage, which cost more than $7,000. The stage was set up on the Bannerman Park ball field.

Unlike previous years, the awards were presented two and a half hours after the start of the race, as opposed to previous years when awards were handed out during an evening reception.

rshort@thetelegram.com