He’s won the old race more than anyone else in its 90 years, and can boast seven of the top 25 all-time Tely 10 times that have been clocked over the 10 miles.
So what keeps Colin Fewer motivated as he prepares for another Telegram 10-Mile Road Race — i.e. the Tely 10 — two days from now?
“It’s funny,” Fewer said this week, “I went for massage today, and drove part of the course. It still gives me butterflies thinking about racing it.
“It’s never been an easy race for me. It definitely gives me challenges, but I’m healthy and motivated to still run a good time.”
It might not be an easy jaunt for him, from Paradise to Bannerman Park, but it sure seems like it. Last year, Fewer attained the unattainable, breaking Pat Kelly's record of nine Tely championships with his 10th win in the 90th running of the big race, which drew 4,811 entries.
Kelly, the Hall of Famer, peeled off nine straight championships from 1933 to ’47. There were no races from 1940-45 because of the Second World War, so one can only imagine how many Kelly would have won if not for the war.
But whether it’s the Tely or a national race or some local event, what keeps Fewer going is the never-ending quest to run the perfect race.
“I still feel I haven’t run my best Tely yet, ironically,” said the 41-year-old teacher from Paradise. “Even last year, I had a personal best time. but I still feel I could have been faster.”
Fewer’s 49:41 last summer was the sixth-fastest time clocked on the course. Paul McCloy still holds the record with a ridiculous 47:04 recorded in 1985. McCloy, in fact, has three of the six fastest times ever registered.
His record Tely 10 win aside, it was a banner 2017 for Fewer, who finished 10th overall, and the eighth Canadian, at the national 5K championship in Toronto in September, fifth of 9,739 entrants in the Toronto Scotiabank half-marathon and in January, was 54th of 11,000 runners in the Houston half-marathon with a personal best time of 1:06.53.
“It’s never been an easy race for me. It definitely gives me challenges, but I’m healthy and motivated to still run a good time.”
Colin Fewer
Fewer is 40, and his times now in that age group have him ranked as one of the top masters runners in the country.
In Houston, his time was 18 seconds off the Canadian masters record.
“I think if I had been a little more aggressive, I could have beaten that,” he said.
“This whole new masters category is something that’s motivating me,” he said. “I might have left some of my youth back on the road in my mid-20s when I wasn’t training as serious as I should have been.”
In the spring, Fewer ran the Vancouver Sun Run, finishing 16th overall of 34,000 runners and the top masters runner. During Ottawa’s Race Weekend in May, despite feeling under the weather, he was 18th overall and the eighth Canadian in the 10K race.
“My times have been consistent,” he said. “I’m running the same times that I ran 10 years ago. There are not many in the last 10-15 years in 40-plus with the times that I’m running.”
Related
One runner who was expected to be neck and neck with Fewer Sunday apparently won’t be running. David Freake of St. John’s, who won the Toronto Marathon in May, is reportedly injured and isn’t registered.
Freake finished third last season. Matt Loiselle of Windsor, Ont., who was second in 2017, isn’t expected to run Sunday, either.
Marystown’s Ryan Brockerville, however, is slated to compete and will give Fewer a push. Same goes for Graydon Snider of Montreal. Snider was second two years ago followed by Brockerville, who now calls Vancouver home.
“We were stride for stride for seven miles,” Fewer said of a duel with Brockerville in 2016. “He was really working me.
“It was a little hot that day, and I think I survived the heat a bit better than him.”
Brockerville is coming off the Canadian track and field championship held earlier this month in Ottawa where he was seventh of 11 competitors in the steeplechase.
Also this month, Brockerville win the Mews Centre 8K race.
Note: Preview of Tely 10 ladies’ division in Saturday’s Telegram
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Tely 10 Men’s Champions/Records
Men's champions of The Telegram 10-Mile Road Race, with winning times:
1922: Jack Bell, 56:35
1923: Ron O'Toole, 55:59
1924: Ron O'Toole, 57:05
1925: Ron O'Toole, 56:32
1926: Cliff Stone, 55:50
1927: Cliff Stone, 54:17
1928: Cliff Stone, 53:40
1929: Cliff Stone, 52:58
1930: Cliff Stone, 53:09
1931: Cliff Stone, 55:08
1932: Cliff Stone, 54:34
1933: Pat Kelly, 56:24
1934: Pat Kelly, 56:50
1935: Pat Kelly, 54:10
1936: Pat Kelly, 55:35
1937: Pat Kelly, 56:58
1938: Pat Kelly, 55:43
1939: Pat Kelly, 55:13
1940-1945: No races, WW2
1946: Pat Kelly, 56:03
1947: Pat Kelly, 57:12
1948: Bern Thistle, 56:52
1949: Johnny Lafferty, 54:15
1950: George Hillier, 55:40
1951: George Hillier, 59:18
1952: George Hillier, 57:36
1953: George Hillier, 55:35
1954: George Hillier, 54:28
1955: George Hillier, 54:39
1956: George Hillier, 54:59
1957: Jim Jackson, 59:44
1958: Johnny Lafferty, 55:19
1959: Jim Jackson, 59:06
1960: George Crane, 60:05
1961: Charlie Spurrell, 60:03
1962: Don Coaker, 55:19
1963: Don Coaker, 56:13
1964: Don Coaker, 57:00
1965: Don Coaker, 59:18
1966: Don Coaker, 56:10
1967: Don Coaker, 58:20
1968: Ken Rice, 70:37
1969: Joe Ryan, 58:25
1970: Dan Clarke, 50:07
1971: Dan Clarke, 50:35
1972: Bren Kelly, 67:58
1973: Dave Thomas, 54:01
1974: Mike Greene, 56:17
1975: Ben Dunne, 56:00
1976: Harold St. Croix, 54:50
1977: Harold St. Croix, 52:06
1978: John Hill, 51:03
1979: Art Meaney, 53:02
1980: Paul McCloy, 49:37
1981: Geoff Thompson, 51:28
1982: Greg Grondin, 50:06
1983: Geoff Thompson, 50:33
1984: Peter Lewis, 50:25
1985: Paul McCloy, 47:04
1986: Dave Whittle, 50:56
1987: Harold St. Croix, 52:28
1988: Harold St. Croix, 52:26
1989: Peter Lewis, 50:53
1990: Harold St. Croix, 51:15
1991: Harold St. Croix, 49:50
1992: Paul McCloy, 51:13
1993: Paul McCloy, 47:54
1994: Dave Ruggles, 51:07
1995: Ernie Lucas, 50:31
1996: Paul McCloy, 49:52
1997: Scott Young, 50:32
1998: Scott Young, 54:26
1999: Scott Young, 51:28
2000: Trevor O'Brien, 53:06
2001: Chris Holden, 50:44
2002: Trevor O'Brien, 51:14
2003: Trevor O'Brien, 51:26
2004: Chris Holden, 52:44
2005: Colin Fewer, 52:05
2006: Colin Fewer, 51:25
2007: Colin Fewer, 50:11
2008: Colin Fewer, 51:22
2009: Colin Fewer, 50:41
2010: Colin Fewer, 49:48
2011: Colin Fewer, 51:19
2012: Matt Loiselle, 48:09
2013: Dan McNeil, 51:11
2014: Colin Fewer, 50:50
2015: Matt Loiselle, 49:25
2016: Colin Fewer, 50:26
2017: Colin Fewer, 49:41
2018: ???
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The 25 fastest finishing men’s times in Tely 10 history:
1. Paul McCloy, 47:04, 1985
2. Paul McCloy, 47:54, 1993
3. Matt Loiselle, 48:09, 2012
4. Paul McCloy, 49:20, 1980
5. Matt Loiselle, 49:25, 2015
6. Colin Fewer, 49:41, 2017
7. Colin Fewer, 49:43, 2012
8. Colin Fewer, 49:48, 2010
9. Harold St. Croix, 49:50, 1991
10. Paul McCloy, 49:52, 1996
11. Dan Clarke, 50:07, 1970
12. Colin Fewer, 50:11, 2007
13. Peter Lewis, 50:25, 1984
14. Colin Fewer, 50:26, 2016
15: Matt Loiselle, 50:27, 2017
16. Ernie Lucas, 50:31, 1995
17. Scott Young, 50:32, 1997
18. Geoff Thompson, 50:33, 1983
19. Dan Clarke, 50:35, 1971
20. Harold St. Croix, 50:41, 1997
21. Colin Fewer, 50:41, 2009
22. Chris Holden, 50:44, 2001
23. Colin Fewer, 50:50, 2014
24. Peter Lewis, 50:55, 1989
25. Dave Whittle, 50:56, 1986
25. Geoff Thompson, 50:58, 1980
