The triathlon season kicked off this morning with the flat and fast (and short) West Is Best Sprint Triathlon and Try-a-Tri. Thirty-one individuals, four relay teams and four try-a-triers enjoyed near perfect weather conditions at Coconuts on the Beach in Frederiksted.
Good Hope School relay member Bryson Mays led the 500-meter triangular swim right from the start. Trying to hang on to his fast pace was local superstar Kellen Hood, followed by a tight pack of Jen Andrews, Sissel, Holloway, Kaitlyn Murphy, Erik Williams and Jay Gleason.
Kellen appeared to catch Mark Kennedy, the cyclist for the GHS team, in the first three miles of the bike course. Not only did Kellen post the fastest bike split of the race, he also had a lickety-split run leg. Troy Holloway held a consistent pace with Scott Fricks, but he managed to bust ahead of him on the run. They finished second and third, respectively. Hats off to Mike Klein, who persevered after returning to the transition in the middle of the race to change a flat.
As mentioned above, Sissel Holloway, home for spring break from Springfield College, had a great race, too. She was in fourth place overall after the bike leg – just a 1 1/2 minutes behind her father. Rachel Blechman, a visitor from University of Miami, kicked it up a notch on the run and posted a 21:19 split for the 3.05 miles.
Many competitors had a break-through race today by improving times and confidence in their overall triathlon experience. Noteworthy is the accomplishment of the youngest participant of the race, nine-year-old Cooper Crowther. He teamed up with his mom, Dulcie, and ran the 3-mile course in 25:35. Come out to watch him next Sunday, when the kids give it a "tri" at the Spring Fling Kids’ Triathlon at Cramer’s Park.
