Murrin won her first Tely 10 road race title Sunday, continuing a fine local road-racing season in which she has won every event she’s entered.
The 36-year-old from St. John’s checked in with a time of 57:14, a healthy 2:29 ahead of her nearest opponent, Lisa Collins-Sheppard, who registered a 59:45 showing.
Defending champion and course record-holder Kate Bazeley was on the sidelines for this Tely 10, having delivered her third baby on July 1.
But don’t think for a moment Murrin was a mere fill-in during the trophy presentation. Her time is the eighth-fastest run by a woman on the Tely course.
Go here for searchable results from the 2017 Tely 10
Before her start as a competitive runner four or five years ago, Murrin was a very good swimmer with the St. John’s Legends, along with her two sisters.
At the time, Legends’ coach Steve Fultz would require his swimmers to get some runs in to build up the cardio.
“We often joke about it now, but I remember Steve would get us out to cross train. We hated it so much that we’d hide in the bushes,” she smiled. “Steve would be out driving around looking for us.
“Now running is a pastime of mine.”
Vacationing in Florida in 2014, Murrin got it in her head that she was going to run the Tely 10 that summer.
When she returned home, she went hard at the training and entered a few local races.
“And it was like, ‘Geez, I kind of like this.’”
Even though she finished third amongst women in last year’s Tely, the 2017 season so far has been Murrin’s coming out year as an elite runner, though she suggests she’s never thought of herself as that.
She’s been dominant on the local road race circuit this season, winning all five races she’s entered prior to Sunday — the Boston Pizza Flat Out 5K, Mundy Pond 5K, Nautilus Harbour Front 10K, Mews Centre 8K and the Uniformed Services Run half-marathon.
Her year started at the Ottawa 10K in May, where she was the 16th female in 36:46.2. That was good enough to place her 96th overall in a field of 9,378, in her first race outside the province.
A notorious slow starter, Murrin opted to change her game plan Sunday morning and get out to a quick start from the gate.
A gutsy call, opting to change her scheme in the biggest race on the local calendar.
“I had faith in my training,” she said. “I’ve been going hard all year, so I knew I had the fitness to do it.”
Veteran distance runner Caroline McIlroy was the third female to finish, in 59:52. Jennifer Barron was fourth in 61.05 followed by Karen Stacey in 62.01.
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