Double-digit champion: Colin Fewer breaks record with 10th Tely 10 title

With a time of 49:41, Colin Fewer put his name in the Tely 10 record book.

The Paradise runner crossed the finish line first for the 10th time, breaking the record for most victories by a single runner. It was Fewer's second straight win and third in four years, following his dominant run from 2005 to 2011, when he won seven straight times.

"I think it was my fastest at 40 [years old]," the champion runner said.

"It's a challenge. Myself and the 5,000 people in this race, we have goals. It's that opportunity, that beacon, that lighthouse, for you to meet those goals."  

And those goals took down a big record this year. 

"You couldn't help but look at all those names stacked together who won multiple races," he said. "Pat Kelly has that big chunk there. It stands out — nine wins and who knows what he would have ran, how many more he would have won, if it were not for war," he said.

The record had been held by Kelly, who won nine straight titles — seven from 1933 to 1939, and another two in 1946 to 1957, when the race resumed after the Second World War.

"I know I got 10 wins but I hope there's an asterisk there next to Pat Kelly's name because he's a special person," said Fewer.

Fewer is now looking to knock a few items off his bucket list. 

"I'm a cross-country runner at heart and I'll hopefully go back to the Canadian championships in November but I haven't ruled out the possibility of a half marathon or I'll talk with my coach, possibly a marathon."

The Tely 10 holds a special place in Fewer's heart. 

"It's a special distance, and it's a special race in Newfoundland. It's been building the history,  and people are realizing now they want a healthier, more active lifestyle," he said.

Jennifer Murrin won the women's title with a run of 57:16. It's the first win for the St. John's runner.

Jennifer Murrin was the projected favourite for the women's division winner, and she didn't disappoint.

"It was a good race. I went out faster than I normally would, I started to feel like I was waning a little bit and thought maybe I went out too fast," she said.

"So of course your mind plays tricks on you, and I'm like, 'Oh god, I don't know what I did,' 'cause I'm not used to going out fast, but it all worked out in the end and I got my second wind."  

Murrin's first race was in 2014.

"Around 63 minutes, that's usually what I would do. Last year I did 63, this year I did 57-something so it's a big improvement for me," she said.

"It feels good. I trained hard all year and had that goal that I wanted to break 60 minutes. That was my goal all year and I trained for that time," Murrin said.

Florence Barron took the women's first place in her division at 79 years old.

This is her 19th time running the Tely 10, and she means business.

"I had the record in this age group and I beat it today, which I wanted to do. I worked hard for it," she said.

He record was 89:59, she said, and Sunday she finished in just over 87 minutes.

"I'll be out of this category next year, so I wanted to break this record," Barron said.

She plans to run again next year and take on a new record next year.

"It'll be a piece of cake," she said.  

Barron does every race she can on the island, and recently did a 25-kilometre race in Miquelon, the French island off the south coast of Newfoundland.

"I'm just addicted to exercise and running. Ever since I started I just love it," she said.  

Joe Ryan sported a special outfit for his 45th running of the Tely 10: a full tuxedo with bowtie.

"I decided to dress up a little bit for the occasion and I just had a ball," Ryan said.

Ryan was in top spirits, but running the Tely 10 in a tux had a little drawback.

"It was relatively warm. I just boiled, and roasted, and cooked in various ways," Ryan said.

Ryan runs training clinics in the city to help runners up their game.

"We do a 10-week program, we do our hills, we do our tempo runs, and we do our long runs," he said.  

He says the key is being consistent, and he's certainly consistent running 45 Tely 10s.

"When it was my 44th, I said, 'Next year, if it's a nice day, I will dress up for my 45th," he said.

Ryan, 68, got the tux especially for the race. He came in around 1 hour 28 minutes.

"I'm going to hate to see the dry-cleaning bill," he joked.

The top five runners in the men's division:

• Colin Fewer — 49:41
• Matt Loiselle — 50:29
• David Freake — 51:24
• Grant Handrigan — 52:06
• Mark Greene — 53:16 

The top five runners in the women's division:

• Jennifer Murrin — 57:16
• Lisa Collins-Sheppard — 59:47
• Caroline McIlroy — 59:55
• Jennifer Barron — 1:01:05
• Karen Stacey — 1:02:01