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Seven-year itch ends as locals win 10 mile road race

THUNDER BAY -- For the first time in seven years, two local runners take first place in the ten mile road race.
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Trevor Zamik (Centre, lime green socks) stands at starting line with 870 runners Sunday at the fire fighters ten mile road race. (Nicole Dixon, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- For the first time in seven years, two local runners take first place in the ten mile road race.

It was a race against time Sunday for local runner Trevor Zimak, whose goal was to break the 50-minute mark at this year’s Fire Fighters Ten Mile Road Race.

Despite missing his objective by a mere 54 seconds, the runner crossed the finish line at 50:54 to claim first place overall.

“The first mile was easy and once you got back near the finish you were able to forget about everything and just start sprinting in so the last bit felt great,” Zimak said after crossing the finish line.

“It got a little tough throughout the mid sections and running in front by yourself. You have no one to push you so it was tough to keep going.”

His time has improved each year and he hopes he can break the 50-minute mark next year.

Zimak finished seven minutes ahead of second place Stephan Chapman, who passed through at 57:54, followed by Johnathan Balabuck a minute later.

Story continues below photo gallery

 

It was a much tighter race among the women, with a pair of training partners from Thunder Bay finishing less than a minute apart.

Thunder Bay’s Keltie John came up on top, crossing the finish line at 1:05:09. John beat her partner Hilary Quirion who clocked in less than a minute later at 1:05.59.

John and Quirion started the race together and managed to get behind a group of three men who were able to break the wind.

“I was trying to maintain my pace and not fall apart. I thought I was going to have the wind on my back but I guess it changed directions so it was coming right at my face,” John said.

During the last mile, John’s main focus was to concentrate on maintaining her pace and not falling apart before the finish.

“It was the first time I’ve ever won overall so that was a nice goal to reach,” she said.

Race director Meghan Shanks said the road race committee will be holding an upcoming meeting to discuss ways in which the event can grow. The race has been a community staple for over a century and Shanks said rganizers will need to recruit new volunteers to ensure it can continue next year.

“The race has been going on since 1910 so it needs to evolve with the times and we are looking forward to making it better,” she said.

“It’s sadly getting harder to pull in those volunteers that are able to volunteer throughout the year and not just on race day.”



Nicole Dixon

About the Author: Nicole Dixon

Born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Nicole moved to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2008 to pursue a career in journalism. Nicole joined Tbnewswatch.com in 2015 as a multimedia producer, content developer and reporter.
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