Women’s race promises to be one for the ages
The women’s race at this year’s Tely 10 could be one of the most exciting ever.
Kate Bazeley and Anne Johnston are the province’s two best female runners. Both are former Tely champions, crosscountry champions, multiple road race winners and have competed successfully on the Canadian mainland.
This season, Bazeley, the Tely record holder, has competed less frequently than usual but impressively both on the local scene and on the mainland. Johnston is racing at the highest level she has in years. She ran a debut marathon in Toronto in under three hours that gave her second place at the event, and her recent win at the local Mews race indicates she is ready to run a fast Tely.
Watch for an intense battle between Bazeley and Johnston Sunday. I think Bazeley will win because of her superior speed with Johnston second, but do not rule out an upset.
Last year’s Tely champion, Jennifer Murrin, has battled a hip injury this year. It kept her off the road race circuit until last week’s Mews 8K race, when she returned with a vengeance.
Murrin was runner-up to Johnston in that event, and her time of 27:18 translates into another sub-60 minute Tely and should be good enough for third place.
Art’s Top 10
■ Kate Bazeley
■ Anne Johnston
■ Jennifer Murrin
■ Lisa Collins-sheppard
■ Jennifer Barron
■ Susan Hayward
■ Karen Stacey
■ Alison Walsh
■ Janelle Simmons
■ Jade Roberts
Lisa Collins-sheppard was second in 2017 behind Murrin in 59:45. Sheppard will run another strong Tely this year. She has two second-place finishes this season and a big win at the Garnish 10K in June.
Her strength and speed will take her to a fourth-place finish, and again she will run under an hour on the course.
Jennifer Barron will be fifth. She has become one of the most reliably successful runners on the local scene. Barron is very strong over the longer distances, and has several victories at the half-marathon distance.
Her Tely personal best is 61:05. This could be the year she joins that special group of women who have run under the hour mark.
Susan Hayward is entered in this year’s race. Another infrequent racer, but always formidable when she appears, Hayward’s training has gone well this year. I am choosing the former Memorial crosscountry standout for sixth place.
Karen Stacey is a late entry in this year’s race. Like her sister, Susan Hayward, she is a former cross-country runner and veteran road racer well known for her strength and take-no-prisoners style of running.
Stacey should place seventh. Alison Walsh used to be a prolific racer. In recent years, she has raced much more selectively. She is a half marathon specialist who now makes the Tely her race of choice. I believe her vast experience will give her a top 10 slot in eighth place.
Janelle Simmons has always been one of my favourite runners. Another veteran of the university cross-country wars years ago, she has become a talented road racer. She attacks races with energy, enthusiasm and a fire in her eyes that is a joy to watch. I pick her for ninth.
Picking the woman who will round out the top 10 is a difficult chore as there is a platoon of top-notch women running on the local scene. I am going with Twillingate’s Jade Roberts for 10th.
Roberts has had a breakthrough year in 2018. A sub-20 minute 5K performance this spring and last week’s eye-opening 39:19 victory at the Carved by the Sea 10K should give her the confidence to run her best Tely ever.
As is the case on the men’s side, there is a large group of women who intend to try and shake up my picks. Shantel Buttress, Krissy Dooling, Stephanie Nevin, Thelma Greene, Stephanie Seaward, Karen Penwell, Laura Lawes, Hannah Cooke, Nicole Hollohan, Holly Foley and Katrina Lynn Picco are names to watch.
Late entries by former Tely champ Caroline Mcilroy and the very fast Julia Howard are sure to affect the standings. Additional late entries from the Canadian mainland could affect the results on both the male and female side.
I will finish with a final prediction and a thank you. The amazing and astounding Florence Barron, at 80 years of age, will set a new age group record on Sunday.
And the thanks goes to Will Small and Mark Hayward, both keen observers of the local running world — thanks guys for your advice and suggestions.