On Sunday, the Annual Wall-2-Wall Sprint and the Try-a-Tri brought out some of the top local triathletes as well as a handful of newbies. Although the angry sea made for an extra-challenging swim at Cane Bay, the overcast sky kept the triathletes cool while on the bike and run on St. Croix’s North Shore Road, according to the VI Triathlon Federation (VITF), which hosted the race.
In his first local race, St. Thomas resident Casey Bateman emerged from the 750-meter swim in 10:05. Good Hope Country Day School (GHCDS) student Dominic Pugliese was not far behind and showed true grit on the 13-mile bike course to overtake Bateman. While posting the fastest run time of the morning, Bateman was reeling in his younger competition on the 5K run but was unable to catch him. Pugliese finished in 1:06:32; Bateman finished in 1:06:42. The third podium spot was earned by the winner of the first Wall-2-Wall Triathlon in 2004 – Wayne Nichols. Nichols is proof that you can still stay fit and fast past prime racing age.
The women’s side was dominated by two friends who are well-known on the local tri scene. Julie Sommer and Esther Ellis, practically arm-in-arm, stuck together for the full swim/bike/run race. They crossed the line together with friend Troy Holloway, who was the fourth male finisher. Megan Lambert, VITF vice president, was the third-place female. Lambert’s son, Mason, age 11, completed his first-ever sprint triathlon while Kirra, his twin, ran the 5K on a relay.
Competition was tough for the five relay teams. The team of Antonio Lewit, Glenn Massiah and Joe Noonan posted the fastest relay time and was third overall. The all-women team of Carol Fricks, Sue Brown and Bridget Klein was second. Rob DeRocker, Joey Swanson and Kat Brownsdon made up the third-place team.
The Try-a-Tri, a shorter version of the sprint race on the same course, was offered, and only three athletes took advantage of the event. Patty Patton finished the 375-meter swim/6-mile bike/1.5 -mile run in first place with a time of 54:41. Bryan Yeager was second in 1:09:02 and Melinda Moran was third in 1:16:46.
The next event on the VITF calendar is the Triple Mini and Beast of The East on Sunday, April 15 at Cramer’s Park.
For more information, call 513-2707.
