Moulton wins 97th annual Tely 10 road race, while Bazeley breaks female record
It’s Bazeley’s ninth win in the 10-mile road race
Kate Bazeley set a new record at the Tely 10 in St. John's Sunday, finishing the road race with a time of 53:42, and beating Anne Johnston's 2019 time of 54:25.
It's Bazeley's ninth win overall in the 10-mile race, now in its 97th year, and her fifth consecutive win.
"It was a great day out there. I'm so happy to get the record, but I needed everything sort of to align," said Bazeley. "It was a really good record. Anne set the bar high six years ago. And I'm really happy that I was able to come out and get it done today."
With temperatures around 13 C, runners hit the road in slightly colder conditions than in previous years, and Bazeley said it made for a great morning of running.
"We had a tailwind, which is ideal. Recent years, we've had a bit of a headwind and it's really hard to get the most out of yourself when you're fighting even a little bit the whole way," she said.
"The temperatures were good and so, I knew today was the day to go for it. Now or never."
In April, Bazeley competed in the professional women's division in the Boston Marathon, where she placed seventh and finished as one of the top master runners. She also finished as the overall winner in two local races.
"That's fun to be able to beat all the guys," she said. "So, the next dream is to hopefully one day, maybe, win the Tely overall. Depends on a lot of stuff. The guys will have to slow down a little."
They didn't slow down on Sunday, however, and so, 25-year-old Levi Moulton of Paradise took the top spot in the race, and in the men's category — running the Tely 10 for the first time.
"For years now, basically since I was like 17, I've been dreaming of running this race and winning in front of my family and friends," he said.
"It was the first year where I could really focus on the longer stuff, get a little bit more fit. And it was also the first year in three or four years that I haven't been injured. I have chronic Achilles stuff. So, coming into the race yesterday, just hopping around my house, not feeling it tug, I was really excited to race."
Moulton, who studies medicine and is a Team N.L. Athletics coach, finished the race with a time of 50:28, the fastest since 2019.
"I was telling everybody yesterday that I would have been happy with 52. So, to get under 50:30, I couldn't even believe it when I was coming down the straight," said Moulton.
"I didn't look at my watch very much throughout the race. So, it's shocking."
He started running when he was in Grade 5, said Moulton, and joined the Pearlgate Track and Field Club in Mount Pearl, where he met his current coach Mark Miller. And, he said, he is inspired to run by athletes like Bazeley.
"She's a legend. My whole life I've looked up to her. I'm actually coaching her kids right now and they're just as remarkable as her," said Moulton. "It's just an amazing family.
Inspiring others with her running — it's something Bazeley said she hopes to do, especially young female athletes.
"I take a lot of inspiration from kids, now that I have a few of my own that are really into sports and doing competitive things. And I just love their energy," she said.
"They're so happy to compete. And I take inspiration from them and then hopefully, they can get some now from me, too."
Shad Bay, N.S., runner Griffin Gamble was second to cross the finish line of the 97th annual Tely 10, with a time of 50:52. William Pidduck, Callum Drever, who won the race last year, and Ben Collingwood came in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
In the women's category, Anne Johnston came in second, at 57:11, followed by Caden Lee, Darcie Stapleton and Maria Chafe.
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With files from Henrike Wilhelm