Sunday was a glorious morning in Frederiksted…race conditions were nearly perfect for the swim/run event. There were four options for athletes: Sprint, Sprint Relay, Super Sprint and Super Sprint Relay. Forty-four local and off-island athletes took part in the Island Life Aquathlon, which was hosted by the VI Triathlon Federation at Rainbow Beach.
The relay swimmers of the Sprint event were the first to complete the 800-meter swim. Teague Gleason, a 14-year-old swimmer on the Dolphins Swim team, led the pack in 10:48. He was followed by Dolphin teammates, Evan Dykstra and Morgan Garner. Mat Porporato was the first individual competitor to finish the swim, followed by Good Hope Country Day School (GHCDS) student Cole Sommer, then visiting triathlete Sean Alexander. Esther Ellis was the first female.
Good Hope Country Day multi-sport athlete Cole Cullinan had a 5K time goal in mind and was determined to nail it. With a big lead from the handoff from Gleason, 13-yr-old Cullinan held the lead and crossed the finish line first in an overall time of 30:46. The order of the individual race changed a bit on the out-and-back run as Stephen Swanton overtook Sommer on the run. Porporato finished in a solid first (33:06), Swanton second (37:17) and Sommer was third (37:53). The relay team of Morgan Garner/Kirra Lambert was second in 34:35 and team Ana Gutierrez/KoleBert Daisley was third in 38:12.
Although Ellis posted the same run time as the second-place female, Julie Sommer, her swim was faster by 21 seconds, so Ellis won the gold (40:24) and Sommer earned the silver medal (40:45). Kat Brownsdon nudged out Robin Seila at the finish line for third place in a time of 43:13.
Dolphin swimmer, Kaeden Gleason, led the Super Sprint in the 400-meter swim and 1.5-mile run. His overall time was 16:07. Trailing behind in second place was Sawyer Holley, who decided to do the Super Sprint when his runner teammate for the Sprint didn’t show up. Randy Nielsen, who ran the full 5K instead of 1.5 miles, was third.
First-time participant Alice Porco led the Super Sprint female field in the swim and also held off friend Amanda Parker on the run to secure a solid win in 23:07. Parker was second and Alison Killilea was third. Good Hope Country Day classmates, Anna Simon and Kennedy James, teamed up and placed first in the relay division in a time of 20:29. Husband/wife team Sara and Jeff Dykstra were second.
The next two multi-sport events on the Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation (VITF) schedule are duathlons (run/bike/run): Feb 11 for Junior Athletes ages 5 to 15 at Altona Lagoon and March 10 for Adults and Experienced Juniors at Divi.
For more information, contact theresa@vitf.org or call 513-2707.
January 28, 2024, Complete Results of Aquathlon (Sprint: 800m swim/ 5K run and Super Sprint: 400mm swim/ 1.5-mile run) at Rainbow Beach, Frederiksted, St. Croix
2024 Island Life Aquathlon (4)
