After a short course talk, half-marathon runners were sent off to the east to the turnaround near Rowdy Joe’s. Then, they headed back past Cane Bay to Carambola, then back to Cane Bay again. The half marathoners ran that course twice, while the 5K runners finished when they reached back to Cane Bay.
Billy Bohlke led the group of 20 half-marathon runners right from the start. He came through the first lap about 2.5 minutes ahead of second-place runner Bridget Klein. Stephen Swanton, looking relaxed, was trailing Klein by 26 seconds. The trio remained in that order for the second lap. Bohlke finished the 13.1-mile race in 1:25:44; Klein finished in 1:29:46; Swanton crossed the line in 1:31:24. While Jessica Carter ran two steps behind Savannah Logan for practically the whole race, she passed Logan within the final 1/2 mile and finished in second place in 1:44:56. Logan was third in 1:44:59. Blake Schluter was the third-place male in a time of 1:46:48.
The 5K field was led by Good Hope Country Day School (GHCDS) runner Nathan Langley, with a fast start. He was closely challenged by St. Croix newcomer Matias Porporato. Langley may have Porporato to thank for a push from behind and for his winning time of 20:26, which is Langley’s PR at the 5K distance. Porporato was second in 20:33; Joel Shoy was third in 23:41.
Julie Sommer, with a time of 25:24, was the first female in the 5K race. Dulcie Crowther and Allison Janusziewicz ran together and finished in second and third place, respectively, both with a finish time of 28:53.
Reindeer Run Half As the runners crossed the red-arched finish line, adorned with garland, a set of reindeer antlers was placed upon their heads. With Christmas music blaring, runners enjoyed a holiday mingle, including homemade cranberry bread, red-colored snacks and eggnog. A holiday raffle concluded the fun morning. Reindeer Run Half.
More results and photos taken by Michelle Dizon can be found on our FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/vitriathlon
