79-year-old Florence Barron beats 89 per cent of Tely 10-Miler women’s field

Florence Barron was competing in the women’s 75-79 age category for the final time this year at the Tely 10-Miler. She turned it into a race to remember too.

In setting a new age group record, Barron beat more than 3,000 runners at the Paradise, N.L. to St. John’s, N.L. point-to-point race, going sub 90-minutes on Sunday. The local St. John’s resident ran a rather incredible 1:27:19 (chip time) for 16K.

That’s 5:25 per kilometre for more than 85 minutes. Or, in other words, three back-to-back 5Ks in 27:06, plus roughly a kilometre.

Understandably, she finished atop her age category and improved upon her own age group record, which was previously 1:29:56, according to the Tely 10-Miler record books.

RELATED: Tely 10 celebrates 90 years, Colin Fewer breaks historic record.

She placed 299th among women, and 1,013th overall in a field of more than 4,340 finishers, according to Chip Time Results. There were 2,676 finishers, the number CR used to calculate the amount of runners she beat, in the women’s field. According to CBC Newfoundland & Labrador, this past Sunday’s Tely 10 was her 19th time doing the race, which celebrated 90 years.

“I’m just addicted to exercise and running. Ever since I started I just love it,” she told the CBC.

Guys Florence Barron (79 yrs old) ran 10 miles in 87 mins. Can we get her on a world record train for next yr at 80?! @CanadianRunning https://t.co/ug5Ykjtmx5

— Kate Bazeley (@katebazeley) July 23, 2017

She will be in the women’s 80-84 age category in 2018. That record currently stands at 2:23:49.