It’s Tely 10 time – for the 90th time
Telegram/running Room Tely 10 contest winners among thousands of entrants who are raring to go
Tomorrow is Tely 10 day — the 90th anniversary of the Telegram’s annual road race.
There are many reasons why people sign up for the gruelling event: from hard core runners to people trying to get into shape, racers, walkers, people running for a cause, running for family and friends or running just so they can say that they did it.
On Sunday, among the hundreds of runners, walkers and wheelers lining up at the startline in Paradise, are eight people for whom race day is the culmination of 12 weeks of work. All because they won a contest
In April, The Telegram held a contest with the Running Room St. John’s for nine runners hoping to compete in the Tely 10 to achieve their running goals with the help of Running Room St. John’s trainers.
Eight runners completed the program, which started the first week of May.
Each were placed in one of four 10-12 week clinics specially designed to prepare them to run the Tely 10 with training that ranged from walking to learning to run.
The runners would meet for each clinic at the Running Room in St. John’s to hear a guest speaker cover topics ranging from types of training to injury prevention.
Following the talk the group would go for a walk/ run. In addition, the contest winners participated in run club days, where they would join the nearly 100 runners who hit the road in groups.
“It’s always inspiring to train with people who are trying to do their best,” says trainer Scott Eldridge. “I think some of them will just continue (to run) … they’re in the habit.”
For Jennifer Corcoran, one of the winners, this year is an important milestone — her return to running after taking three years off for two spinal surgeries.
“I’m really excited for Sunday because it’s the first one in a long time,” says Corcoran who has run the Tely 10 three times previously as well as the Cape to Cabot race and several half marathons.
Having the professional help and support and chance to run with others has made a huge different to Corcoran as she begins to run again.
“My biggest support has been having other people around,” says Corcoran, who has been following the training program both in person and online.
Dale Lambe used the contest as the motivation to finally run the Tely 10, something he had always been nervous to do without any knowledge of how to train or what it would be like to run the distance.
“It’s always been something I said I would try next year and never did,” says .
Lambe began his training with the “Learn to Run” group but soon moved over to running with one of the Tely 10 training groups as well as following the routes set out by the leader of his clinic.
“Completion is my goal,” says Lambe who plans to join other running groups from Running Room St. John’s after the race, adding the other runners “always had good advice.”
Luke Coombs is running the race for the first time with the goal of beating the time his mother, who is unable to run this year, set at last year’s race.
Coombs said he’s enjoyed training with the groups at Running Room St. John’s and has benefited greatly from the coaching he received there.
“Everyone has a focus; everyone has the same goal,” Coombs says about going out with the running groups.
He has enjoyed running and looks forward to his first race because unlike many other competitive sports, he says, “you are really just competing against yourself.”
Coombs hopes to incorporate running into part of a healthy and active lifestyle when he starts his masters at Queen’s University this fall. Another contest winner, Ann Marie Tibbo, has been participating in the walking clinics at the Running Room in preparation the Tely 10, going on walks ranging from 5-16 km with the walking groups three times a weeks.
Tibbo had always wanted to participate in the Tely 10 and says, “Winning the contest enables me to train.”
Last month Tibbo walked a 10-km route with her walking group and hopes to continue walking and do other walking races in the future.
This Sunday will be also be Trina Kennedy’s first time participating in the Tely 10, something she had only considered doing last year.
“I feel like I’m prepared. I feel like I learned a lot in the clinic,” says Kennedy who started running at her gym during the winter as a way to manage depression and anxiety. She has enjoyed running with the groups from the Running Room and finds they help to keep her accountable in her training and efforts to meet her goals.
After the Tely 10, Kennedy says plans to continue running both alone and with some of the Running Room groups.
Jason Summers started running a year ago to quit smoking as part of the “Run to Quit” program at the Running Room. Since then he has run half a dozen 5k and 10k races and coached as part of the “Run to Quit” program.
Summers said winning the contest and getting the chance to take part in one of the Tely 10 clinics and running with the running club groups has changed things for him.
“I think I prefer running with the group now,” says Summers who is looking forward to meeting his wife and two sons at the finish line on Sunday.
The Telegram will have extensive coverage from the annual road race online at www. thetelegram.com, on its facebook page and in Monday’s print edition.