Thunder Bay in Thunder Bay District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

10-Mile Road Race

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2022

1. 10-Mile Road Race Marker

Inscription.

10-Mile Road Race. . , Thunder Bay’s annual 10-Mile Road Race in May is one of the oldest foot races in Canada. First run in 1910 through the streets of Fort William and Port Arthur, it effectively linked the two rival cities. , Created to encourage “healthy and clean sport at the head of the lakes,” its first sponsor, the Daily Times-Journal newspaper, attracted some big stars. Olympian, Joe Keeper, who set a spectacular record of 54:50 in winning the 1911 race, was greeted by a crowd of close to 20,000 people when he returned two years later. , Early events were characterized by a mixture of “big-time” and purely local racers. Fields were small but the contenders were serious. A strong link was forged with Finnish runners in the 1930s, and this continues to this day; the event’s fastest times to date for both males and females have been set by runners from Finland. , Aside from interruptions during both World Wars and a period of inactivity in the 1950s, the race has been an annual fixture. After it became the national 10-mile championship in 1970, however, performances improved considerably. So too did participation. Early races brough out as many as 30 athletes. In the 1980s, those numbers reached the hundreds as finishing became as important as winning. , [photo captions] , . Over 20 men lined up at the start of the inaugural race in 1910. J.E. Edwards won in a time of 57:00. , . Gary Young (#41) and Bob Moore (#51), the eventual winner, led the charge at the start of the 1970 race. Almost all of the fastest times were set in the ‘70s. , . The race has had six sponsors in its history: the Daily Times-Journal, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #6, Lakehead University, Bell Canada, Shopper's Drug Mart, and the Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters Association. In 2008 the race celebrated its 75th anniversary. , . On the balcony of the Times-Journal building, Tommy McAuliffe receives his trophy for winning the 1929 race in a time of 55:28. Finnish runners Pekka Paivarinta (in 1975) and Erja Ervonen (in 1994) ran the distance in 47:09 and 57:16 respectively, setting records in the men's and women's categories. Racing world-class competitors has greatly improved the performance of local runners. , . Joe Keeper, Olympian and winner of the race in 1911 (seen here) and 1913, proclaimed his trophy as the best prize he’d ever won. , Text and design by Tory Tronrud (© 2008) , Illustrations courtesy of , Thunder Bay Museum.

Thunder Bay’s annual 10-Mile Road Race in May is one of the oldest foot races in Canada. First run in 1910 through the streets of Fort William and Port Arthur, it effectively linked the two rival cities.

Created to encourage “healthy and clean sport at the head of the lakes,” its first sponsor, the Daily Times-Journal newspaper, attracted some big stars. Olympian, Joe Keeper, who set a spectacular record of 54:50 in winning the 1911 race, was greeted by a crowd of close to 20,000 people when he returned two years later.

Early events were characterized by a mixture of “big-time” and purely local racers. Fields were small but the contenders were serious. A strong link was forged with Finnish runners in the 1930s, and this continues to this day; the event’s fastest times to date for both males and females have been set by runners from Finland.

Aside from interruptions during both World Wars and a period of inactivity in the 1950s, the race has been an annual fixture. After it became the national 10-mile championship in 1970, however, performances improved considerably. So too did participation. Early races brough out as many as 30 athletes. In the 1980s, those numbers reached the hundreds as finishing became as important as winning.

[photo captions]
• Over 20 men lined up at the start

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of the inaugural race in 1910. J.E. Edwards won in a time of 57:00.
• Gary Young (#41) and Bob Moore (#51), the eventual winner, led the charge at the start of the 1970 race. Almost all of the fastest times were set in the ‘70s.
• The race has had six sponsors in its history: the Daily Times-Journal, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #6, Lakehead University, Bell Canada, Shopper's Drug Mart, and the Thunder Bay Professional Firefighters Association. In 2008 the race celebrated its 75th anniversary.
• On the balcony of the Times-Journal building, Tommy McAuliffe receives his trophy for winning the 1929 race in a time of 55:28. Finnish runners Pekka Paivarinta (in 1975) and Erja Ervonen (in 1994) ran the distance in 47:09 and 57:16 respectively, setting records in the men's and women's categories. Racing world-class competitors has greatly improved the performance of local runners.
• Joe Keeper, Olympian and winner of the race in 1911 (seen here) and 1913, proclaimed his trophy as the best prize he’d ever won.

Text and design by Tory Tronrud (© 2008)
Illustrations courtesy of
Thunder Bay Museum

Erected by City of Thunder Bay.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 48° 22.909′

Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2022

2. Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame

The marker is located on the right side of the walkway.

N, 89° 14.737′ W. Marker is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in Thunder Bay District. It is on May Street South just south of Donald Street East, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located beside the sidewalk, directly in front of the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 219 May Street South, Thunder Bay ON P7E 1B5, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Ontario

and specifically in Northwest Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Great North Woods,

on Lake Superior’s North Shore,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: City Hall (here, next to this marker); William McGillivray (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Kaministiquia 1717 (within shouting distance of this marker); Thunder Bay Public Library (within shouting distance of this marker); 425 Donald Street East (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Western Route of the C.P.R. (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Capture of Fort William (approx. half a kilometer away); Fort William (approx. 1.1 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Thunder Bay.

Also see . . . 10 Mile Road Race History. Excerpt:

This premier running event is steeped in history that dates back to the inaugural running in 1910. The Times-Journal went on to provide sponsorship for the race until 1915 when World War I forced the cancellation of the event. It was reinstated in 1920. During the 1930's, with people feeling the
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impact of the Great Depression, morale was low. The only commodity which seemed to be in excess was time. This is most likely the main contributing factor to the Ten Mile Road Race's success during this period. The success of the race came to an abrupt halt in 1939 with the advent of World War II. In 1968 the first female competitor ran in the Ten Mile Road Race. Frances Blanche of Marathon, Ontario entered the race and finished with a time of 72:56 beating several male competitors. However, there was no recognition for Frances. Awards and separate categories for female runners were not initiated until the late 1970's. In 1970, the event took on a higher profile as it became the National 10 Mile Championship.

(Submitted on April 4, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 3, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 259 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 4, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.