Besides a little chop in the sea, yesterday’s weather was perfect for a race. The 5th running of the Beauty & The Beast took place at Cramer’s Park. Although the weather was nice, the climb up the “Beast of the East” (aka Point Udall) is never easy. The water/aid stations were planted so that the runners in the Olympic-distance triathlon could pass them eight times. The volunteers did a great job keeping everyone upright and moving.
Fresh off his 1st place finish in the 1-mile race in the Coral Reef Swim, relay swimmer Daryan Maynard came out first again in the field of Olympic-distance triathletes and relay teams. He finished the 1.4K swim in 17:55. His sister, Diella, was the second to finish, followed by their swim coach Scott Fortier. Alex Betancourt was the first individual triathlete, and Esther Ellis was the first female individual triathlete.
With Maynard’s great lead, the cyclist for his relay team, James Bates, was able to hold the first-place position during his 24.5-mile bike ride. The course from Cramer’s Park to Cane Garden and back along the South Shore/Southside Road is well known by most cyclists, so many rode comfortably and confidently regardless of the road conditions.
Cyclist David Morales moved his relay team into second place from the swim-to-bike handoff in third position. Stephen Swanton soon took the lead from Betancourt on the bike in the individual race. Robin Seila pedaled her way from 5th to 1st on the bike, posting the second-fastest ride of the morning. (Her husband, Swanton, had the fastest bike split)
The sun poked out a bit during the 10K run, which made the two-time climb up Point Udall a bit more challenging. Bates handed off to Blake Schluter, who maintained a steady pace and made the run look like an easy win.
The relay team of Daryan/James/Blake took the overall win in 2:29:33. Not surprisingly, Bridget Klein overtook several runners and pulled her relay team (Bridget/Wayne Nichols/Bridget) into second place overall. Just under 2 minutes behind was Swanton coming in strong for the first-place individual win. His time was 2:27:05. Less than 30 seconds behind Swanton was the third-place team of Scott Fortier/David Morales/Megan Mault. Betancourt was the second male in 2:48:28, while Seila was the third individual and first place female in a time of 2:51:33. Ellis was the second female and Kat Brownsdon was third.
In the shorter race, the Sprint, there were just two competitors. This was 16-year-old Cole Sommer’s first time to compete at this distance. With little training, Cole easily breezed through the 700-meter swim, 14.5-mile bike, 5K run in an overall time of 1:48:59. Jan Powell was the only female to complete the Sprint course. Her time was 2:10:42.
Five women toed the line for the sprint aquathlon, which consisted of a 700-meter swim and a 5K run. Colleen Cooke led the field from the start and finished in a speedy time of 49:20. Alicia Lewit, who is currently training for the Miami Marathon in January, took second place in a time of 52:52. Newcomers, Sarah Vaughan and Sarah Miller, finished in third place, with their hands held high as they crossed the line. Attached are the full results.
There were so many volunteers and a few businesses who made this event possible. We would like to recognize especially the VIPD, VIFEMS, Plaza Extra East/Seaside Market & Deli, Leatherback Brewing Company, Clearwater Roof & Cistern Coating, DEAR Productions, Bohlke Airways/Centerline Car Rentals and VI TRI Inc.
The next event on the V.I. Triathlon Federation’s calendar will be the Junior Splash ‘n Dash on Dec. 3. For the adults, the Reindeer Run Half Marathon and 5K will be held on Dec. 10 at Cane Bay. Stay tuned for details.
