Feb. 24, 2007 — Make that a four-peat for Jeremy Zuber. The 26-year-old St. John man again won the 8 Tuff Miles race, but his time of 50:14 was slower than the course record of 49:20 he set last year.
"It was tough. It was hot. I burnt out on the downhill," said Zuber, who works at Caneel Bay Resort, just after he passed the finish line at the Coral Bay Ballfield.
Heat proved a factor for many of the 710 racers in Saturday's 11th-annual run. The 8.375-mile run from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay was supposed to start at 7:15 a.m., but organizer Peter Alter said the ferry companies failed to provide a promised extra boat to get all the participants from Red Hook, St. Thomas, to Cruz Bay in time for the planned start. The race started late at 8:04 a.m.
"Forty-five minutes makes a big difference," Alter said.
If the event had started at 7:15 a.m., he said, the participants would have had shade. Instead the sun had already climbed high enough in the sky to make for a hot run.
Sally Roberts, 27, a behavior analyst from Watertown, Mass., was first across the finish line for the women.
"It was hard. It was really hilly and it was hot," she said, adding that she's in training for the Boston Marathon.
Court Lilly, 27, of Cincinnati, took second for the men. The course was unbelievably difficult, he said. A high school assistant principal, Lilly said he races regularly, but the St. John course tore his legs up.
"I had hopes for a better outcome," he said.
Nelson Dupere, 42, finished third in the men's division. A computer programmer from Boston, he said he came for the race but also to check out sites for his upcoming wedding. This was the second time he had run 8 Tuff Miles.
"I knew what to expect," he said.
Karen Ringheiser, 43, a teacher and "mom" from Carlisle, Mass., came in second for the women. This was the third year in a row she ran the race.
"It was a little hotter and, no matter how hard I train, it's a hard race and it doesn't seem to be getting easier," Ringheiser said.
Chelsea O'Brien, a 24-year-old web designer from St. John, was third across the finish line for the women. The race was tough as usual, but "fabulous," she said, and she enjoyed the camaraderie.
"It makes you feel like a champ," O'Brien said.
The race brought out people from far and wide and close to home.
Moe Chabuz, 57, who owns Skinny Legs Bar and Restaurant in Coral Bay, said he was training for the Boston Marathon. He was a little tired going into the race because he's been training, he said, but added that the heat was also a factor.
However, Jodie Tanino, 47, and a waitress at St. John's Asolare restaurant, said the heat didn't bother her.
"I was slower than I thought I'd be, but I feel pretty good," she said.
It was a family affair for Pond Bay Club developer Bob Emmett, 55. Three of his children and his wife also participated.
"It was fun for an old man," he said, joking as the sweat dripped off him.
Shaimau Lalich, 14, of St. John, got a helping hand from Naheem Mason, 24, a car salesman from St. Thomas.
"We paced together," Mason said. Lalich said Mason encouraged him to keep going when the going got tough.
Mike Klein, 42, and a boat captain from St. Croix, complained that he was hungry and hot.
"Coming up that last hill, I though I was going to bonk," he said, meaning he'd run out of steam.
As the runners passed the finish line, George Cline, who was helping to staff the St. John Rescue tent, said he knew of two people who collapsed as they ran the route. Later Alter said one woman went to Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center by ambulance and someone driving a car picked up the other one.
The event also brought out scores of volunteers.
"It's a great thing to do," said St. John resident Sharon Schoonover as she handed out T-shirts to participants.
Here's a wrap up of the winners. For full results, click here.
Men
1. Jeremy Zuber, 26, St. John 50:14
2. Court Lilly, 29, Cincinnati 51:15
3. Nelson Dupere, 42, Boston 56.25
Women
1. Sally Roberts, 27, Watertown, Mass. 1:04:12
2. Karen Ringheiser, 43, Carlisle, Mass. 1:04:42
3. Chelsea O'Brien, 24, St. John 1:06:2
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