A pair of twin sisters from Thunder Bay, Ont. posted the fastest times for female runners in Monday's Ten Mile Road Race — and it was their first 10-mile race ever.
Kim Krezonoski crossed the finish line in 1:02:37.
Her sister, Michelle, was right behind her, crossing in 1:03:11
"It feels good. I've been training really hard with my sister. I would have not been able to do this without her today," Kim told CBC, adding the two siblings encourage each other while racing.
"Sometimes I could see she's falling off a little bit. If we say like one word, whether it be 'perseverance' or something like that … then it kind of motivates the other person and you kind of feed off each other's energy, especially because we're so close, obviously."
The 24-year-old sisters said their previous races have ended in photo finishes."This one wasn't as epic, but it was still close."
Monday's performance, Kim said, motivates her to keep training and stay healthy and injury-free, she said.
Meanwhile, a Thunder Bay man who came back from a serious foot injury a decade ago won the race for the third year in a row.
Trevor Zimack crossed the finish line with a time of 52:05.
That's actually 40 seconds slower than his winning time last year, Zimack said, but the weather was hotter this year and he is still recovering his speed after competing in the Boston Marathon for the first time earlier this spring.
Zimack, who said he ran in high school but didn't take it too seriously, recommitted himself to the sport around eight years ago after getting out of shape following a boating accident that necessitated reconstructive surgery on his foot.
"One of my old high school coaches, Roger Slomke, was in a race that I just hopped into, and he ended up beating me, and I was like, 'No more. That will never happen again,'' said Zimack.
"I just started running and training every day, and so, I've kind of got to give him credit."
"He sort of got the running career going again to where I'm at now."
Zimack, 34, who teaches English at St. Patrick High School and spends his summers participating in fishing tournaments, typically competes in about four races a year, he said, though this year, he's on track to do six.
He is grateful to his family, he said, for supporting his sometimes demanding training schedule.