Story courtesy of the Nevis
Cycle and Triathlon Club
(Oualie Beach, Nevis) – It was a day for athletic royalty.
For the first time, the male and female triathlon champions of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis were crowned at an event conceived solely for this purpose.
The coronations were held Sunday afternoon, April 13, at the Oualie Beach Hotel, where the federation’s triathletes gathered to vie for the coveted titles.
A group of 23 athletes competed on this very windy afternoon, with MUA students and visiting tourists also joining the fun and games, with Olympic and Sprint distance races on offer for individual racers and relay teams. The Olympic champions are able to gain international recognition and valuable points on the PATCO and ITU ranking systems.
The nation’s triathlon hero and OECS champion Reggie Douglas maintained his form to hold off the challenge of former champion James Weekes.
Meanwhile, Miranda Fellows showed her true potential as she held off her nemesis Kristina Stoney to claim the female champion’s crown for the first time.
Visiting triathlete Neal Dunn from the USA was competitive on this day, narrowly beating Reggie to the finish line after a fierce battle out on the course; the far better swimmer Neal taking the early lead but Reggie showed his strength on the bike to close Neal’s five-minute advantage and pass him to leave out first on the run. Reggie maintained his lead on the first of the two laps but Neal passed him on Hurricane Hill to win by less than a minute.
Neal’s partner Rene Russo was also busy providing a challenge to Nevis top female triathletes Miranda and Kristina, but it was to be Miranda’s day all round as she boldly took the race by the horns and finished very strong and unchallenged.
The sprint distance was won by the ever-present Keith Jones in the male division and MUA student Dre Edge won the women’s category with some ease, considering it was her first triathlon. Dave Cook of the USA was third overall, and congrats to Joe and Margie Tonnies, who was second female overall, for taking time out of their vacation to join in. Other standout performances were shown by 13 yr old Shaun Brear, Jessups all star Godfrey Todd in his first sprint, and most notably Sarah Petre-Mears, who flatted out near camps and ran her bike all the way back so that she could complete the Olympic distance event, showing true grit and determination.
Special thanks to Penny Avery, Lynn Fiske, Moreen Phillip and Wendy Brear for their invaluable assistance in putting on this event.
