An international field of 181 swimmers participated in the five, 1-mile and 2-mile open water swims that were held on Sunday, Nov 13. The sold-out 5-mile race started at Buck Island National Monument; the 2-mile began at Pull Point; the 1-mile began at Shoy’s Beach. All three events ran concurrently and ended at the palm-shaded shore at The Buccaneer’s Mermaid Beach.
Swimmers ranged in age from 12 to 78. Onlookers cheered on their friends and family as they enjoyed the steel pan band on the beach and the entertaining moko jumbie dancers.
The Coral Reef Swim was founded by Elizabeth Armstrong, owner of The Buccaneer, and her friend Kim Rice Sanford in 1996. It has become one of the top open-water events in the Caribbean.
Zane Grothe, 30, from Auburn, Ala., led the field of 67 and completed the 5-mile course first, with a time of 1:43:28. Grothe was on the U.S. World Championship Team from 2016-2017 and a member of the U.S. Pan-Pac Team in 2018. Alex Kostich, 52, from Los Angeles, having taken first place 21 of the 24 times he has swum this race, finished second overall with a time of 1:49:37. Kaeden Gleason, 15 years old and from St. Croix, finished third in 1:51:21.
Female winners were Kyla Hallam, 23, from Westminster, Col. (2:06:46), followed by Clare Cushing, 25, from Lenexa, Kan. (2:10:46) and Natalie Heidrich, 55, from Ponce Inlet, Fla. (2:20:03).
The 52-person 2-mile event was won by Aidan Brown, 19, from Wayne, Penn., with a time of 55:23, while second place was claimed by Michael McGean, 27, from Cambridge, Mass. (56.24). Ginny Jordan, 30, from Tampa, Fla., (57:00) was third, thereby claiming the first-place women’s position as well. Second for women was Bethany Aronow, 57, from New Canaan, Conn. (1:02:45), while the third spot was won by Emily Rose, 30, from McClean, Va. (1:04:22).
Of the 62 1-mile swimmers, the winners were Daryan Maynard, 14, from St. Croix, (24:32); Charlie Han, 18, from Hixson, Tenn. (28:13); and Teague Gleason, 12, from St. Croix (28:17). Female winners were led by Kyleigh Rychlik, 13, from Maple Valley, Wash. (28:19), right on the heels of the male winners, with second going to Diella Maynard, 12, from St. Croix, (28:21), and third place to Camille Schechter, 17, from Miami, Fla. (28:35).
Race sponsors included The Buccaneer Beach and Golf Resort, AeroMD, Caribbean Sea Adventures, Teroro II, Bellows International, Cruzan Rum, Coca-Cola, Big Beard’s Adventure Tours, St. Croix Yacht
Club, Massage Academy VI, and Sea Sports St Croix. The race committee is grateful also to the many volunteers on the sea and on land who made the race possible, including St Croix Rescue and EMTs, the U.S. Coast Guard, St. Croix Fire Department, and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
The 27th Annual St Croix Coral Reef Swim is slated for next year on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. For more information, visit www.Swimrace.com and www.thebuccaneer.com.
