It might be a Tely 10 field smaller than in recent years, but it’s definitely not slower.

Among the 2,500 riders who will take the start of Paradise for the 93rd edition of the Telegram 10-Mile Road Race on Sunday morning, there will be the fastest women in the history of the event.

It’s not that Anne Johnston, Jennifer Murrin and Kate Bazeley never faced each other in the Tely 10 – they did so the last time the race was held, in 2019. However, when they will again on Sunday, they will be in possession of the three fastest 10 times Tely ever achieved by a woman.

Johnston’s time of 54 minutes and 25 seconds was posted when she won in 2019, while Murrin’s time of 54:55 came as she finished second in the same race. The third fastest belongs to Bazeley, who ran a time of 55:34 when she won in 2016.

If you are wondering, Bazeley’s time of 56:05 was the third fastest in women in 2019, when she, Johnston and Murrin all finished in the overall top 10.

If any of the three are victorious on Sunday, they will be added to what is already a multi-title store. Johnston has won four Tely 10s (2002, 2004, 2015 and 2019) just like Bazeley (2010, 2011, 2014, 2016). Murrin (2017, 2018) is a two-time champion.

The men’s field is unmistakably led by defending champion Colin Fewer, who has won 12 of the last 15 Tely 10s and holds four of the fastest times in race history, including the 49:49 he recorded in 2019.

Less is also among the four runners to have completed the Tely 10 in less than 50 minutes (he did it four times). The others are Paul McCloy (who has the race record of 47:04), Matt Loiselle and Harold St. Croix.

Most of Fewer’s main challengers of 2019 are not shown as entered for Sunday’s race. That includes Graydon Snider of Montreal, who was second two years ago, Matt Noseworthy, third, of St. John’s, and Blaine Penny, fourth, of Calgary.

The absence of many runners from outside Newfoundland and Labrador was to be expected, given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 race, the postponement of that of this year from its regular July to mid-fall date, and the peloton capping at 2,500 – there had been 3,700 finishers in 2019.

However, there is an interesting name outside of the province. This is Michael Kondro from Alberta, a former varsity runner from the University of Calgary who represented Canada internationally in orienteering (which combines running with map reading / navigation ).

Kondro was visiting St. John’s when he decided to participate in the 20 kilometer (approx 12 mile) Cape to Cabot race two weeks ago and won it. Now Kondro is registered for the Tely 10.

The same goes for Zach Putt, Kondro finalist at Cape to Cabot (and 11th overall in Tely 19 2019) and Nick Snow, eighth in Tely 10 two years ago.

Brendan McCarthy is a reporter in St. John’s and covers sports for The Telegram.

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@Tely_Brendan