Aug. 15, 2001 – For the third year in a row, fit folks from across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico will head to St. John on Sept. 3, Labor Day, for the Love City Triathlon.
"They've all been training hard," committee member Kathie McMurtrie said.
The event starts with a half-mile swim at Maho Bay. Next comes a 14-mile bicycle ride from there along the North Shore Road to Cruz Bay and then along Centerline Road to Coral Bay. It concludes with a four-mile run in Coral Bay. Participants can complete individually or as a relay team.
Last year, the event attracted 32 entries. Maho Bay Camps controller Louise DePuy of St. John won the woman's division with a time of 1:55:27. First place in the men's division went to St. Thomas bicycle guide Andy Mohr, who clocked 1:46:21 for the course.
DePuy, who is the race director, is expected to be a strong contender for the top women's spot again. McMurtrie said DePuy's competition will come from St. Croix resident Theresa Harper and St. John resident Jude Woodcock. Woodcock was knocked out of the running last year when her bicycle tire went flat near Hawksnest Bay and she didn't have a spare.
Mohr no longer lives on St. Thomas, and who will take the top men's spot this year is anybody's guess. McMurtrie is betting that Woodcock's husband, Jeff Miller, and Harper's husband, John Harper, will be top contenders. "But then, there's new faces, some unknowns," she said. "The men will be a mystery."
DePuy predicted that St. Croix resident Bob Halk will be the first man out of the water. "He's a strong swimmer, but he's never ridden a bike here before," she said. She expects St. John resident Adam Thill to give everyone a run for their money. Thill is in top shape and just returned from a triathlon in Chicago. "He lives here, and he knows the hills," DePuy said. "Adam is also the fastest male runner."
Triathlon participants are entitled to a free stay at Maho Bay Camps the night before the race. For those wanting to make a weekend of it, extra nights run $37.50 for two people sleeping in a tent-cabin. DePuy said the free night and locals rate make it affordable for non-St. John residents to participate in the event. And having all the participants on island from the night before allows the committee to start the race during the coolest part of the day, rather than waiting for people to arrive on ferries from St. Thomas.
Registration forms are available at Goodbodies in The Marketplace on St. John, Endurance Sports on St. Croix and Going Seanile on St. Thomas. The sign-up fee is $25 through Aug. 27 and $35 after that. The deadline to registration is Sept. 2; there will be no registration the morning of the event.
To learn more, register and/or make reservations at Maho Bay Camps, call DePuy at 776-6240, ext. 211, or e-mail her at louise@maho.org.
