The Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation (VITF) held a run/bike/run event on Sunday at the Susana Santana Ocasio Park in Gallows Bay, St. Croix, which brought out 43 kids from six different schools as well as a handful of homeschoolers.
The “You Make My Heart Race Junior Duathlon” was organized by the Junior Tri VI committee and was open to kids of all abilities, ages 5 to 15. Stephen Swanton, the president of the VI Triathlon Federation, noted how many newcomers were at the event. “We haven’t held a race for junior athletes since May 2021, so we knew that kids were wishing for a fun, outdoor event. It was great to see our regulars on Sunday, as well as many first-timers.”
The junior athletes were placed into four age groups for the race. The 5-6 years-old athletes completed a .25-mile run, then a .5-mile bike ride, then another .25-mile run. Tuf Donohoo, who placed second in the race in May, was the first-place finisher in a time of 9:32. In her first Junior Tri VI event, Posey Watson closely trailed behind Donohoo and was the first female and the second finisher overall. Her time was 9:53.
Sage Weiss, a second-grade student at Good Hope Country Day School (GHCDS), took advantage of his speedy bike riding ability and built a solid lead by the second run portion of the 7-8 years-old-race. On a course consisting of .25-mile run/ 1 mile bike/ .5- mile run, he placed first in a time of 14:41. Emma Whitworth dominated the female category and finished in a time of 15:02.
The largest group of the morning was the 9-11 years-old. With 15 boys and girls on the starting line, they all took off like rockets at the sound of “Go.” Weston Wagner, Henry Collins and Hudson Mirocha established their finish order early on in the race, which covered a .5-mile run, followed by a 1-mile bike, then another .5-mile run. Wagner’s winning overall time was 15:06. Not far behind the top trio was the first-place female, Ava Whitworth, a fourth-grade student at GHCDS. Nearly two minutes behind Whitworth was Isla Watson, competing in her first-ever Junior Tri VI race. Olivia Locher rounded out the podium in third place.
The smallest group, the 12-15 years-old, took on the longest course, which covered a .5-mile run, followed by a 3-mile bike and finished with a 1-mile run. Kirra Lambert, a runner on the Jolly Roger Track Club, put on her game face and pushed through the heat and the repeating laps. At the same time, Lambert’s brother, Mason, and classmate Cole Sommer kept a steady pace behind her on all three legs of the race. Kirra was the overall winner in a time of 26:31, while Sommer crossed the line as the first male finisher and second overall.
Before the race committee handed out the awards, Kirra Lambert, age 15, shared a few inspirational words with the younger kids, encouraging them to stick with it. “It gets easier,” she said. Kirra and Mason (and a few others) have been participating in the Junior Tri VI events since the age of 5. In fact, the junior duathlon at the Susana Santana Ocasio Park 10 years ago was their first event.
Ten lucky kids won raffles prizes, ranging from Valentine’s candy to a football for Super Bowl Sunday. The event and prizes were sponsored by the Peil Charitable Fund.
For more information on multi-sport events for children and adults, send a message to theresa@vitf.org.
