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VIPace Runners Holds 34th Annual Memorial Day 2-Mile Race

The start of the 34th Annual Memorial Day 2 Mile

As the days of summer warm up, the V.I.Pace Runners road races shorten in distance.  This makes life better for the runners.  Historically, the point-to-point course for Monday’s 34th Annual Memorial Day 2 Mile was all downhill until the new bypass was constructed, so now it finishes at the Christiansted overlook, which has a couple of hills in the last mile. 

Dominic Pugliese of Good Hope Country Day School (GHCDS) battled all the way with Billy Bohlke, multiple winner of the event, to ease ahead by 10 seconds at the finish to clock 11:03 (11 minutes, 3 minutes) for the win with Bohlke in pursuit and second in 11:13; but the youth did not prevail for the third place spot as Randall Nielsen had a photo finish third over 13 year-old Brice Richards of GHCD 11:35 to 11:37 (basically they had the same time because it was so close); Mason Lambert the 10 year-old from GHCD took fifth in 13:28.

Megan Lambert, Mason’s mom, was the first place female finisher in the race with a time of 15:00; Mario Alivio in her first race was second in 17:55; Cynthia Whitehurst was third in 19:15; Jamilah John Baptiste, an 8 year-old with the Mary’s Fancy Track Club, was fourth in 19:25;

“Teddy Seymour, a U.S. Marines Captain and Vietnam Veteran once told me that the hills that serve as a backdrop to the historic town of Christiansted, reminded him of the hills in Vietnam,” said Wallace Williams, race director.  Now the Memorial Day 2 Mile finishes exactly where Seymour made his reference.  No less than a half-dozen participants in the event were military veterans, and they took the opportunity to express their thoughts on the special day.

Wes Whitehurst, a C-130 pilot in the U.S. Air Force, called on participants to make a special effort to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Paul Barone an infantryman in the U.S. Marine Corps, spoke about how fortunate he was to make it through the Vietnam War; Brice Richards’ father, a seaman in the U.S. Navy, shared memories of his time served; Randall Nielsen, a U.S. Army Gulf War veteran, expressed his satisfaction on running in the memory of lost veterans.

Ester Sweeney, a retired major in the V.I. National Guard, spoke of how proud she is to have served; Billy Bohlke, a major in the Puerto Rico Air Force National Guard and C-130 pilot served three tours in Afghanistan and still serves; Wallace Williams, a Vietnam Era four-year U.S. Air Force veteran, the founder and race director, shared a little history of the event and its meaning.

The next race on the V.I.Pace Runners calendar is the 33rd Annual Women Race at 5 p.m. on June 4 in Christiansted.

For information or to register, logon to http://virginislandspace.org (click on next race…)

For information, call 643-2557 or logon to: http://virginislandspace.org    or e-mail wallacewilliams@msn.com    

 AWARD LIST FOR  RACE – THE 34th MEMORIAL DAY 2MILE ROAD RACE

Distance: 2 Miles…Point-To-Point  May 29, 2017

Beeston Hill to Bypass, Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands USA

Organized by: The Virgin Islands Pace Runners; Sanctioned by: The V.I. Track and Field Federation

           ********** MALE OVERALL RESULTS FOR 2Mile RACE ***********

Place — Name —  Age  — Club/City/School —  Time

    1 DOMINIC Pugliese     16 Good Hope Country                 11:03     

    2 BILLY Bohlke         38 St. Croix, VI                   11:13     

    3 RANDALL Nielsen      49 St. Croix, VI                   12:35     

    4 BRICE Richards       13 Good Hope Country                 12:37     

    5 MASON Lambert        10 Good Hope Country                 13:23     

    6 ROBB Kuczynski       31 St. Croix, VI                   13:30     

    7 KAEDEN Gleason        9 Good Hope Country                 14:11     

    8 JAY Gleason          42 St. Croix, VI                   14:47     

    9 FLORENDO Astropabio  38 St. Croix, VI                   16:19     

   10 JAHIEM McIntosh       9 St. Mary’s Track                 17:37     

   11 WHAT’S Your Name     35 St. Croix, VI                   18:51     

   12 JIMIAH John Baptist  45 St. Mary’s Track                 19:27     

   13 LARRY Williams       75 St. Croix, VI                   23:37     

   14 WILLIE Lewis         59 St. Mary’s Track                 23:46     

   15 JOSE Torres          66 Atlanta, GA                     30:38     

         ********** FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS FOR 2Mile RACE ***********

    1 MEGAN Lambert        41 St. Croix, VI                   15:00     

    2 MARIA Alivio         35 St. Croix, VI                   17:55     

    3 CYNTHIA Whitehurst   62 St. Croix, VI                   19:15     

    4 JIMIAH John Baptist   8 St. Mary’s Trac                 19:25     

    5 CANDI Chitty         62                                 20:33     

    6 MYRTICE Torres       53 Atlanta, GA                     30:17     

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  1 – 9

    1    15 JIMIAH John Baptist   19:25   8 St. Mary’s Track        19:25   

MALE AGE GROUP:  1 – 9

    1     7 KAEDEN Gleason        14:11   9 Good Hope Country       14:11   

    2    11 JAHIEM McIntosh       17:37   9 St. Mary’s Track C      17:37   

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  10 – 19

MALE AGE GROUP:  10 – 19

    1     1 DOMINIC Pugliese      11:03  16 Good Hope Country       11:03   

    2     4 BRICE Richards        12:37  13 Good Hope Country       12:37   

    3     5 MASON Lambert         13:23  10 Good Hope Country       13:23   

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  20 – 29

MALE AGE GROUP:  20 – 29

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  30 – 39

    1    12 MARIA Alivio          17:55  35 St. Croix, VI           17:55   

MALE AGE GROUP:  30 – 39

    1     2 BILLY Bohlke          11:13  38 St. Croix, VI           11:13   

    2     6 ROBB Kuczynski        13:30  31 St. Croix, VI           13:30   

    3    10 FLORENDO Astropabio   16:19  38 St. Croix, VI           16:19   

    4    13 WHAT’S Your Name      18:51  35 St. Croix, VI           18:51   

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  40 – 49

    1     9 MEGAN Lambert         15:00  41 St. Croix, VI           15:00   

MALE AGE GROUP:  40 – 49

    1     3 RANDALL Nielsen       12:35  49 St. Croix, VI           12:35   

    2     8 JAY Gleason           14:47  42 St. Croix, VI           14:47   

    3    16 JIMIAH John Baptist   19:27  45 St. Mary’s Track        19:27   

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  50 – 59

    1    20 MYRTICE Torres        30:17  53 Atlanta, GA             30:17   

MALE AGE GROUP:  50 – 99

    1    18 LARRY Williams        23:37  75 St. Croix, VI           23:37   

    2    19 WILLIE Lewis          23:46  59 St. Mary’s Track        23:46   

    3    21 JOSE Torres           30:38  66 Atlanta, GA             30:38   

FEMALE AGE GROUP:  60 – 99

    1    14 CYNTHIA Whitehurst    19:15  62 St. Croix, VI           19:15   

    2    17 CANDI Chitty          20:33  62                         20:33   

MALE AGE GROUP:  60 – 99

    1    18 LARRY Williams        23:37  75 St. Croix, VI           23:37   

    2    21 JOSE Torres           30:38  66 Atlanta, GA             30:38  

 THE 34th MEMORIAL DAY 2MILE ROAD RACE –

Distance: 2 Miles…Point-To-Point May 29, 2017

 Beeston Hill to Bypass, Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands USA

 Organized by: The Virgin Islands Pace Runners; Sanctioned by: The V.I. Track and Field Federation

Place — Name  —  Age — Sex City/School/Club — Time — Pace    

===== =================== === = =============== == ======

    1 DOMINIC Pugliese     16 M Good Hope Count                 11:03  5:32

    2 BILLY Bohlke         38 M St. Croix, VI                   11:13  5:37

    3 RANDALL Nielsen      49 M St. Croix, VI                   12:35  6:18

    4 BRICE Richards       13 M Good Hope Country                 12:37  6:19

    5 MASON Lambert        10 M Good Hope Country                 13:23  6:42

    6 ROBB Kuczynski       31 M St. Croix, VI                   13:30  6:45

    7 KAEDEN Gleason        9 M Good Hope Country                 14:11  7:06

    8 JAY Gleason          42 M St. Croix, VI                   14:47  7:24

    9 MEGAN Lambert        41 F St. Croix, VI                   15:00  7:30

   10 FLORENDO Astropabio  38 M St. Croix, VI                   16:19  8:10

   11 JAHIEM McIntosh       9 M St. Mary’s Track                 17:37  8:49

   12 MARIA Alivio         35 F St. Croix, VI                   17:55  8:58

   13 WHAT’S Your Name     35 M St. Croix, VI                   18:51  9:26

   14 CYNTHIA Whitehurst   62 F St. Croix, VI                   19:15  9:38

   15 JIMIAH John Baptist   8 F St. Mary’s Track                 19:25  9:43

   16 JIMIAH John Baptist  45 M St. Mary’s Track                 19:27  9:44

   17 CANDI Chitty         62 F                                 20:33 10:17

   18 LARRY Williams       75 M St. Croix, VI                   23:37 11:49

   19 WILLIE Lewis         59 M St. Mary’s Track                 23:46 11:53

   20 MYRTICE Torres       53 F Atlanta, GA                     30:17 15:09

   21 JOSE Torres          66 M Atlanta, GA                     30:38 15:19

 

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