THUNDER BAY – At 34, Trevor Zimak isn’t sure how many more Firefighters Ten Mile Road Race titles are in his future.
He’s certainly showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Zimak on Monday captured his third straight Road Race win, crossing the line in 52:05 to edge Duluth’s Scott Behling, who ran neck-and-neck with the eventual winner for about six miles before Zimak pulled away for a 43-second triumph.
“I’m gunning for the Thunder Bay record,” Zimak said, pointing to the five straight Firefighters Ten Mile Road Races won by Jonathan Balabuck, the eighth-place finisher in 2018, from 2003 to 2007.
It was a strategic race run by Zimak, who said he had to be smart, knowing he was up against a lot younger runners in the lead pack, which included Thunder Bay’s Derek Patterson for more of the first half of the competition.
“We sort of exchanged leads through miles one, two, three and four. I sort of threw in a bit of a surge at the Marina. Everybody sort of covered each other. We all ran together and by mile six I decided to really go hard for two miles to try to get a gap going,” Zimak said.
“I’m not a guy who’s got a lot of leg speed. I know those two guys are a lot younger than me, so I didn’t want to leave it to a last-mile kick because I would have been pretty worried if everyone was together at nine miles.”
It was a similar tact in the women’s race, twin sisters Kim and Michell Krezonoski matching each other stride for stride at the front of the pack for most of the race.
The two first-timers grew up watching their father Bill compete – he was 28th overall on Monday – and it was Kim who found an extra gear as they made their way through the course, which started and wrapped up on Simpson Street.
Kim Krezonoski took the women’s title in a time of 1:02:37, crossing the finish line 34 seconds ahead of her sister.
“I think it was just mental stamina, but she’s going to get me next year, just watch,” she said.
Michelle Krezonoski said her goal was a 1-2 finish with her sister, and while she’d have loved to collect the title and the $1,000 first-place purse, second wasn’t a bad consolation prize.
“I saw Kim go ahead and I told her, ‘Kim, just go.’ She looked strong and it’s kind of just a fairytale for me because I’ve grown up watching this race and watched my dad for so many years … To have my sister and I come one and two it’s really a dream. I’ve been thinking about this day for 365 days, for 24 years,” she said.
Gia Rinaldi took third in the women’s race in a time of 1:06:22.
Patterson was third in the men’s race, finishing in 53:08.
It was also a special day for 15 young runners from Sandy Lake First Nation, who took part in the relay.
Twelve-year-old Ava Crow said it was lot of fun.
“I felt proud because this is my second year running. There were so many people cheering,” she said.
Results
Men
1. Trevor Zimak - 52:05
2. Scott Behling - 52:48
3. Derek Patterson - 53:08
4. Louis Moreau - 55:18
5. Connor MacIntosh - 56:32
6. Stephen Chapman - 58:08
7. Scott Wiebe - 58:13
8. Jonathan Balabuck - 59:00
9. Taij Mann - 59:40
10. Marko Ahokas - 1:01.32
11. Doug Thiessen - 1:02.02
12. Matt Agar - 1:02.04
13. Ben Belluz - 1:02.08
14. Christopher Tomlin - 1:02.26
15. Jonathan McGavock - 1:02.33
Women
1. Kim Krezonoski - 1:02.37
2. Michelle Krezonoski - 1:03.11
3. Gia Rinaldi - 1:06.22
4. Kelly Henry - 1:08.59
5. Rebecca Andrews - 1:09.04
6. Kayla Kjellman - 1:09.15
7. Kayla Gallo - 1:09.47
8. Rebecca Carr - 1:09.59
9. Sue Kainulainen - 1:10.03
10. Catherine O'Neill - 1:10.35
11. Jodie Barry - 1:10.40
12. Carole Murray - 1:10.40
13. Caroline Cox - 1:12.14
14. Samantha Potter - 1:14.08
15. Laura Bron - 1:14.20
