By Mark Squibb/November 11, 2021
The fastest youth to run this year’s Tely 10 calls Mount Pearl home.
Brady Lawlor, a grade 11 student at O’Donel High, completed the ten-mile run with an official time of 1:01:27. He placed 1st in the U19 division, and 39th overall.
“I was half passing out, half excited,” said Lawlor of crossing the finish line on race day.
He said he honestly wasn’t expecting to place so well, so the news was a pleasant surprise.
This year’s Tely 10, which was held on October 31 rather than in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was Lawlor’s first foray in the storied event.
The 16-year-old began running when he was 11. He started off, as most runners do, with shorter runs, such as the Mundy Pond 5 KM. He joined the Pearlgate Track and Field Club, developed his skills, and from there bumped his distances up to 8 kms, and then 10 kms.
He ran his first race with his dad, Sean, and the two would often run together from then on out.
“I used to do them a lot with my dad. Back then he could keep up with me, and now he can’t so he lets me run alone,” he joked.
With his distances increasing year over year, Lawlor soon set his sights on the 16-kilometre Tely 10.
Lawlor didn’t begin his running career running ten-mile races, as already explained. He recommends that anybody interested in giving running a try start out slow, tackling short distances at a speed they’re comfortable with.
He himself prefers running with friends as opposed to running alone, and suggested that those new to the sport might enjoy running with a group of friends as opposed to going it alone.
“I like that really anybody can do it,” said Lawlor of the sport. “And you don’t need much, just a pair of shoes, and you can do it anywhere.”
