Bourne Couple Win Chatham In The Fall 10K

CHATHAM – The Steeles’ hard work paid off. 

 After capturing top-five finishes in their respective genders in last year’s race, Bourne couple Tom and Karla Steele each captured first-place finishes in the Chatham in the Fall 10K on Sunday. 

 Tom led the field of 212 competitors to finish first overall after completing the scenic 10-kilometer course in 36 minutes, 42.2 seconds. A little less than 10 minutes later, his wife, Karla, finished in 45:34 to claim the women’s title. 

 “It’s cool,” Tom said about the opportunity to compete alongside his wife. “If we can win together, that’s the best.”

 A year ago, Tom finished fourth after finishing in 38:29, and Karla took third among female competitors with a 46:11. Despite cold, windy conditions on Sunday, both runners improved their times en route to first-place finishes. 

 “We’ve been running more,” said Karla. “I’m hoping to do an early-Spring marathon, so I’ve been upping my mileage more. 

 “When you run a couple days per week, you can expect a lot on race days when you really have a plan and set mileage to hit.”

 Andy Ochs of Marshfield finished second in 38:08.7, followed by Ryan Glynn of Abington, who took third in 38:36.9. Brady Camplin (41:39.5) of Fairhaven was fourth, and Chatham’s Logan Dailey (42:02.5) rounded out the top five. 

 Anna D'Souza of New Orleans was the second-place finisher among women, finishing in 47:42.6, while Amy Woods of Brewster took third in 47:57.7. Orleans resident Kate Dorsey (48:17.8) finished fourth, and Megan Woltring (48:34) of Marstons Mills took fifth. 

 Although the wind was howling, the Steeles said it was manageable to deal with throughout the course. 

 “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be actually,” said Tom. “I barely felt the wind.”

 “I expected it to be worse,” added Karla. “People were saying with the wind we were going to be hitting a wall. But it was good, because I was expecting it to be worse.”

 Visit tinyurl.com/5n77jj6z for complete results from this year’s Chatham in the Fall 10K.