THUNDER BAY - To say Katie McGee has left her mark on the Ten Mile Road Race would be an understatement.
The 42-year-old Duluth runner made history Monday, capturing her ninth Half-Way Motors Firefighters Ten Mile Road Race title to place her even with Thunder Bay’s Sue Kainulainen for most victories in the 82-year history of the city’s oldest and most prestigious running event.
McGee, whose last crown came in 2012, finished the race in a time of 1:00:28, more than three minutes ahead of runner-up Nicola Wilberforce.
“That’s an honour because (Kainulainen) is obviously Thunder Bay’s best runner of all-time,” McGee said shortly after crossing the line.
“I’ve been hoping for this for the past couple of years…I’m happy to finally get that ninth win.”
McGee captured her first Ten Mile championship in 1999 and has made the event an annual stop in preparation for Grandma’s Marathon, which is held in Duluth every June.
In the past couple of years she has had a new baby and battled injuries which have slowed her pursuit for her ninth win.
A cold almost derailed her plans on a chilly and wet race day.
“Breathing was a little tough,” she said.
“This was a pretty nice day considering it could have been a lot windier, a lot wetter and a lot colder…It’s always tougher heading out into that lake wind but coming back is so nice and that extra 10 seconds per mile in the second half is really nice.”
On the men’s side, Luka Chelimo ended the five-year reign of Gilbert Kiptoo, finishing in a time of 50:32 that put him nearly a minute ahead of second-place Dominique Aulagnon.
The conditions were a struggle for the Kenyan making his first trip to Thunder Bay.
“The weather was very difficult to breathe (during the first half,” he said. “When you’re coming back the weather became (better).”
Through the first four miles Chelimo was closely trailed by Aulagnon and eventual third-place finisher Trevor Zimak.
That’s when he made his move, pushing the pace through Prince Arthur’s Landing and widening the lead by the six mile mark.
“You start breathing well and that’s when I tried to push it,” Chelimo said. “That’s where I opened it up.”
Race director Meghan Shanks said there were 632 individual runners on the start line, with relay teams bringing the total number of participants to a little more than 900.
"We are down. Last year we were a little more than 1,000," she said. "Spring came upon us pretty quickly. I'm not too sure how many people were planning on going ahead with that but that could have been an issue."
A shortened training season has become the new normal in the past couple of years, with organizers believing that might be impacting participation rates. An aging community of runners might also be contributing to the drop.
Shanks said the race needs to reach new people in order to expand.
"We need to keep people interested in running and we need those new people coming in as well and taking that health challenge," she said.
Editor's note: This story originally included a quote from race director Meghan Shanks indicating race numbers were down slightly in part because of a lack of participation from teachers at Lakehead Public Schools, who are in labour negotiations. Both unions involved deny their members have withheld these services.
