Tely 10’s Florence Barron smashes 80+ record

It was a humid day in Paradise this morning as almost 4,700 runners laced up for the 91st running of the Tely 10, Newfoundland’s oldest and most popular road race. But a little humidity didn’t stop Florence Barron from smashing the existing record for the 80+ age group (2:23:49, set by Nora Connors in 2016) by more than 45 minutes.

Barron celebrated her 80th birthday in April, and this was the fourth time she has set a record at the Tely 10. 

Named for its longtime sponsor, the St. John’s Telegram, and founded in 1922, the Tely 10 is a net downhill from Paradise to St. John’s, resulting in some impressively fast times. Paul McCloy’s course record of 47:04 has stood since 1985, and Nicola Will’s 1986 record of 55:47 was only broken in 2016, by Kate Bazeley (55:34), who finished third today.

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

Outer Ring overpass waiting for #Tely10 runners pic.twitter.com/xphPfNEGsa

— Keith Gosse (@TelyPhotoGosse) July 22, 2018

The race was won by Colin Fewer (his 11th win), and Jennifer Murrin (who won last year also), in 52:05 and 56:58 respectively. Last year Fewer matched Pat Kelly’s record of nine wins. Anne Johnston was second (57:34) and Kate Bazeley third (58:41) in the women’s race, and Graydon Snider (52:40) and Chris Galley (54:01) were second and third in the men’s race.

Medical First Responder volunteers providing first aid @Tely10NL this morning! #readytorespond #firstaid #SJA #Tely10 pic.twitter.com/wRuNbocDgG

— St John Ambulance NL (@SJA_NL) July 22, 2018

Last year Barron broke her own 75-79 record (just under 1:30), finishing in 1:27. 

Women were first welcomed into the Tely 10 in 1969, two years after Kathrine Switzer’s historic first official Boston Marathon finish. 

The heat and humidity made today’s race especially challenging. Murrin spent several minutes in the medical tent after crossing the finish line, but recovered.