Milestone victories top the 98th running of the Tely 10 in St. John's

Thousands of runners, new and experienced, accepted the challenge Sunday

This year’s edition of the Tely 10 road race in St. John’s is one for the books.

Men's division winner Andrew Davies of Sarnia, Ont. breezed past thousands of fellow runners despite the blistering 20 C heat Sunday morning.

His unofficial time, according to the Tely's Facebook page, was 46:51, meaning Davies could likely be the next course record holder. The standing record, set by Newfoundland and Labrador track legend and Olympian Paul McCloy in 1985, was 47:04. Final finish times for the 98th Tely 10 have not yet been verified.

“I felt like I had a ghost behind me,” Davies said when asked how he pushed himself forward.

The 10-mile or 16-kilometre race takes runners from Paradise, through Mount Pearl and into Bannerman Park in downtown St. John’s.

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This year was Davies's second time running the Tely. His first was a decade ago.

Two thoughts went through the new champion’s mind, he said, while crossing the finish line with a fresh new title.

“Some mix of ‘thank God that’s done’ and 'that was a lot of fun,’" he said.

Just minutes after Davies crossed the finish, a familiar face in the province’s running community achieved a feat of her own.

Kate Bazeley marked her 10th win in the women's division after taking a break from the sport halfway through last year. She has now won for six consecutive years.

“This was a really nice start back to my racing self,” she said.

Bazeley’s advice to new runners is to never give up, even if it means starting out slowly.

“Just take your time. It's all relative," she said. "It was really hard for me in January after five months off. But I thought as long as I'm running, I'm OK, I'll get there.”

Next, Bazeley said she might come for her friend Colin Fewer’s record of 13 total Tely 10 wins.

To wrap up the day, another local sports star — 19-year-old Gavin Baggs — placed first in the wheelchair category.

Last year, Baggs won four medals at the Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, where he competed in both swimming and track and field.

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Maddie Ryan is a reporter with CBC News in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Reach her at madison.ryan@cbc.ca.