A small assembly of junior athletes was eager to finally have the chance to participate in the Great Pumpkin Junior Duathlon, which took place this past Sunday morning at the Susana Santana Ocasio Park in Gallows Bay. The event was originally scheduled for Oct. 22, but it was postponed due to pending inclement weather.
Twenty-six athletes, from 10 different schools on St. Croix, toed the line for the run/bike/run race. According to race director, Theresa Harper, more than half of the participants were newcomers to a Junior Tri VI event; the organization holds five to six multi-sport events annually for kids ages 5 to 15.
The youngest group of competitors, ages 5 to 6, completed a .25-mile run, a .5-mile bike and a .25-mile run. Homeschooled student Benjie Heaney was the first to cross the line, but Noel Wynter of Lew Muckle Elementary School was trailing very closely behind in second place. Luca Donahue, of Good Hope Country Day School (GHCDS) was third. The lone female of the group was 7th overall.
The 7–8-year-old category was up next with only three competitors. Nash Miller completed the .25- mile run, a 1-mile bike and .5-mile run in a time of 15:36. While Miller and classmate, Ian Bouzianis, finished neck-and-neck on the first run, it was Miller who took the gold position, with Bouzianis less than one minute behind Miller. Charley Gay completed the course in 17:29 for third place overall and first female.
The largest group of the race was the 9—11-year category, including 11 competitors. GHCDS cross- country runner Ridley Smith led the pack on the first .5-mile run. Daniel Remie, a student at Claude O. Marko Elementary, was the second runner through the checkpoint. Smith’s teammate, Zavier Saleem, stayed on Remie’s heels. While Smith increased his lead on the 1-mile bike course, Saleem overtook Remie and pushed into second place. On the second .5-mile run, the boys maintained their order and crossed the finish line with about two minutes between first and second and second and third. Avery Vaughan, new to St. Croix, was the only female in the race. She finished in 10th place overall.
In the 12–15-year-old category, KoleBert Daisley and Colson Iubelt, both age 13, pushed a fast pace for the .5-mile run. They remained within eyesight of each other on the 3-mile bike course, as they circled the perimeter of the park six times. It came down to the final run, where Daisley made his move on the 1-miile run. He finished the race in 25:00, while Iublet crossed the line in 26:48. The only female in the category, Fawziya Aderohunmu, a student at Church of God Holiness Academy, abandoned the race after the first run. The Great Pumpkin Junior Duathlon was her first-ever multi-sport event.
All participants received a t-shirt, a finisher’s ribbon and a bag of fall-themed treats. The Junior Tri VI series is sponsored by Peil Charitable Trust. The next event on the Junior Tri VI schedule is a Splash ‘n Dash (swim/run) on Dec. 3. For more information on multi-sports, call 513-2707.
Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation / Junior Tri VI
The Great Pumpkin Junior Duathlon
5-6 year old ¼ mile run/ ½ mile bike/ ¼ mile
- Benjie Heaney, age 6 09:22
- Noel Wynter, age 6 09:34
- Luca Donahue, age 6 10:27
- Orion Coursey, age 5 11:25
- Arrion Fontenelle, age 6 12:29
- Michael Klein, age 6 15:57
- Luna Baker, age 4 17:16
- Aiden Camarena, age 5 20:02
Reagan Payne, age 5 DNF
7-8 years old ¼ mile run/1 mile bike/ ½ mile
- Nash Miller, age 8 15:36
- Ian Bouzianis, age 8 16:26
- Charley Gay, age 7 17:29
9-11 year old ½ mile run/1 mile bike/ ½ mile
- Ridley Smith, age 11 14:12
- Zavier Saleem, age 11 15:38
- Daniel Remie, age 10 17:03
- David Vaughan, age 11 17:08
- Riley Iubelt, age 9 18:54
- Náim Aderohunmu, age 11 20:28
- Carter Dahlberg, age 9 20:40
- Noah Lenoir, age 10 22:45
- Omar Mutidi, age 10 25:33
- Avery Vaughan, age 9 24:10
- Beau Mace, age 9 25:48
12-15 year-old ½ mile run/3 mile bike/ 1 mile
- KoleBert Daisley, age 13 25:00
- Colson Iubelt, age 13 26:48
Fawziya Aderohunmu, age 12 DNF
