Erica Hawley blew the competition away with a dominant display on the way to capturing the BF&M 10K women’s title on Saturday.

The professional triathlete led the whole way before crossing the finish line at North Field in 37min 39sec to cap a highly successful and memorable debut in the event.

“This is my first time doing the race and it feels great to win,” an elated Hawley told The Royal Gazette.

“It was a tough day out there, but I am really glad I was here to be able to race it.”

Hawley, who finished ninth overall, exploded off the start line to seize early control of the race and kept her foot firmly on the gas as she distanced herself farther away from the chasing pack.

“There were a couple of people behind me that I knew are fast, so I just wanted to go out hard and keep it consistent,” she added.

“Had to go Palmetto Hill at the end there, so it was tough and you had to save a little bit.

“It’s a tough way to do it, but I knew I had a target.”

Local runners dominated the podium as former half-marathon winner Gayle Lindsay finished third in 39:53.

“I am actually really happy with how it went,” she said.

“It’s a tough course. I have done this a couple of times before and always seem to forget how hard that last two kilometres is climbing uphill. Especially battling a bit of headwind just towards the end so happy I managed to hold onto third and just really enjoyed it.”

American Amy Piccolo followed up her victory in the Butterfield Mile last night by finishing in 39:14.

“It’s awesome and this is my first 10K ever,” the 26-year-old said.

“I just tried to stay with whoever was around me and not get dropped.

“The girl [Hawley] that won was way out in front, so I had no chance of running with her.

“But there was a good pack of guys right in front of me, so I was able to stay with them. As they started to fall off, I was like picking them off one by one, so they helped me a lot.”

Also earning another trip back to the podium was Dage Minors, who finished second in the men’s race behind American Colin Cernick in 32:27, just hours after retaining his Butterfield Mile men’s title.

“I wasn’t sure how my body was going to respond after last night,” the 28-year-old said.

“But, like I reiterated all week, it was good training week for me. Fast finish last night and then some strength work today.

“In terms of the race, I can’t be too upset with it. Colin made a hard move coming by Whitney Middle School and was able to hang on for a little bit there.

“He started coming back to me a bit, but he deserved the win for sure.

“I ran out of real estate and he was able to hang on and make a good, exciting last mile for those that were watching.”

Cernick led the men’s field home in 32:13 to cap a memorable debut in the event.

“It feels amazing, it’s awesome,” the 29-year-old said. “I had a great day out there, I’m tired.

“I thought my time was good for how hilly the course was. I think it was like two minutes off my PR, but I’ll take it with the hills.

“The wind was also a little rough when you hit the open road, so it was challenging. It wasn’t a walk in the park.”

Cernick’s compatriot, Marcel Aubry, also found his way back on the podium after finishing third in 32:57, having placed runner-up in the mile.

“I am pleased and was initially just going to do a workout,” the 23-year-old said. “Then I felt that the competition was tough again, and so I had to dig a little.

“Up until five kilometres, I was with the top four of five and then it got separated, so I was kind of in no-man’s-land from there onwards.”