Reflections of Telegram-sponsored runners
Telegram/running Room contest winners reflect on their Tely 10 experiences
It all came down to Sunday for winners of the Telegram/running Room St. John’s contest who had been training since May for the Tely 10 and were pleased with their performances in this year’s race.
The contest winners began training with Running Room St. John’s clinics in early May and worked, running four or five days a week, right up to the race.
The program worked on building fitness for the race over time by increasing the length and difficulty of runs as well as spending a month on training hill repeats.
In order to mitigate the differences both in goals and experience among runners preparing for the Tely 10, Running Room St. John’s offers two clinics — one for beginners who are just hoping to complete the race and one for more experienced runners with specific time goals. The programs are adapted to suit the needs of individuals.
“Follow your program, get your money’s worth and cross the finish line,” says coach and 33-time Tely 10 finisher Art Meaney, who won the race in 1979.
Meaney, a coach at Memorial University as well as the Running Room, says, “The experience I’ve gained, the mistakes I’ve made, have added a lot to my knowledge.”
He emphasizes that “if you’re going to run it you should do it properly,” a reason why the Tely 10 clinics are so popular.
“I felt good, surprisingly,” Jennifer Corcoran said the morning following her first Tely 10 race after a three-year hiatus from running due to spinal surgery.
Despite having been apprehensive on Saturday, Corcoran felt good running the race on Sunday morning.
Corcoran repeatedly said how happy she was that she had been able to return to the race this year.
“I was so glad because I didn’t know how I would feel,” she says, adding that she “can’t wait for next year.”
Corcoran’s husband and daughter, who in previous years waited for her at the finish line, followed the course, stopping at various points to cheer her on as she ran. Corcoran says she “really liked knowing they were going to be in a few spots along the way.”
Corcoran exceeded her expectations for the race, finishing in 99:27, when she had anticipated finishing in 100 minutes. She looks forward to continuing to train for races in the future.
For Dale Lambe, Sunday marked the completion of a longtime goal. After having been selected in The Telegram/running Room St. John’s contest, Lambe was very nervous about what he was about to undertake.
“I wouldn’t have done it without Leo,” Lambe says of the encouragement he got from Leo Gosse, regional director of The Telegram and one of the main contest organizers.
“It was very enlightening how many people came out to support the runners,” says Lambe, who was surprised by the crowd along the course cheering them on with water and wet sponges. “It’s great for the community. It’s bringing people together and encouraging them to be physical,” Lambe says, reflecting on the diversity of body type and athletic ability he saw on the course.
Lambe was met at the finish line by his wife, two children and inlaws, and received a steady stream of text messages before and after the race supporting and congratulating him on running.
The morning of the race, Lambe’s son, age seven, was so excited to see his dad run that he had made his bed and was dressed in his “Go, Dad, Go!” shirt — given to Lambe’s children by race organizers — and was ready to leave for the course by 7 a.m.
“It’s good for them to see you can accomplish things when you put your mind to it,” Lambe says of how he hopes his running the race will inspire his children.
Finishing the race in 86 minutes, Jason Summers — whose goal had simply been to finish the race — was happy with his first Tely 10 experience and is planning to run again next year.
“I was kind of hoping for more hills,” Summers said with a laugh when asked how he found the course.
Summers was happy to see the
large number of participants from his Running Room St. John’s clinic who grouped together for a photo before the race. He is seriously considering — with the encouragement of his Tely 10 coach — participating in the half-marathon clinic this fall.
Summers was greeted at the finish line by his parents.
Trina Kennedy was feeling good, though missing preparing for the race, the day after her first Tely 10 after running 15 minutes faster than her anticipated time of 120 minutes.
“From the Basilica on the only thing that kept me going was the crowd,” says Kennedy, who got off to a faster start than expected and began to tire towards the end of the route.
Along the way, Kennedy was happy to spot a few friends on the sidelines who cheered her on and snapped some photos. Coming up to the finish line, Kennedy was taken by surprise when the announcer noticed her running. Her sister, Brenda, who also ran the Tely 10 for the first time this year, finished a little while before Kennedy and met her at the finish.
Kennedy is already looking forward to some races coming up in the fall and is considering participating in the Cape to Cabot clinic with the Running Room St. John’s.
“Honestly, I felt great during the run,” says Luke Coombs, who was surprised by how flat the course was, but did get to employ some of the technique he learned in his Tely 10 clinic on the downhill section towards the end.
Coombs said he benefited from the advice he got from other runners he trained with about what to eat and how to properly warm up before the race.
“I think sometimes I have a tendency to underestimate my abilities,” says Coombs, who put himself at the back of the block to start and was soon passing other runners.
Coombs was met at the finish line by his girlfriend. He hopes to do more middle-distance races in the future and continue to apply the techniques he learned in preparing for the Tely 10.
Jennessa Goodland, who had been pushing through an injury in the week leading up to the race, is pleased to have reached her goal of finishing her first Tely 10.
“I was terrified the week leading up, right to when the gun went off,” Goodland says of her nerves prior to the race.
“I was absolutely blown away by the amount of supporters on the road,” she says.
Goodland had several supporters along the course, including her grandmother at the halfway point and her aunt and cousins in other places.
Waiting at the finish line were Goodland’s husband, children — her son held a sign saying, “I love sweaty hugs, Mom” — and parents.
“If I wasn’t selected for (the contest) I don’t think I would have done it,” says Goodland, who is looking forward to running again next year.
“It was excellent. It was way better than I expected,” says Ann Marie Tibbo, who walked the race in 148 minutes.
Tibbo laughed, saying she “was pumped” for the race. Despite being sore the day after, it was well worth it, she said.
Tibbo’s husband and friends drove to different spots along the course to watch her compete on the way to the finish line, where her sister also met her. Tibbo hopes to participate again next year.
Rhonda Lamkin, who crossed the finish line with her son, 11, and daughter, 15, where they were met by her husband, says, “I don’t think I would have been able to finish” without the training she received from being selected in the contest.
“I was quite surprised with myself,” says Lamkin, who finished faster than she expected.
Lamkin is looking forward to beating her time next year, when her husband and children will join her in the race.