June 12, 2001 – In observance of Sunday, June 24, as St. John Olympic Day, the V.I. Olympic Committee is sponsoring two events at Maho Bay -– a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) run/walk and a swimming race. Both have two components -– for competitive athletes, and for everyone else.
Registration for the Olympic Day run is from 7:10 to 7:50 a.m., with the race set to start at 8 a.m. There's no fee. What's more, runners traveling from St. Thomas to take part will get free ferry (departing Red Hook on the 6:30 a.m. boat) and taxi transportation to Maho Bay and back.
The race course is from the Maho Bay beach pavilion to the taxi turnaround at Annaberg, then back to finish at the beach pavilion.
There will be awards for first, second and third place overall and for the first three finishers in male and female categories by age – under 10 years, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60 and over.
To promote youth participation in the run, the Olympic Day organizers have issued a challenge to schools to see which can have the most participants. The winning school will receive a banner and a traveling trophy to display in the coming year. Graduating seniors are eligible to represent their schools, which can include public, private, parochial and home-schooling institutions.
Registration for the Olympic Day swim will start at 9:30 a.m. on the beach at Maho Bay. The race is from the beach pavilion around a three-loop course within Maho Bay for a total distance of about 1.25 miles.
There's no registration fee for the swim, either, and "everyone is invited – snorkels, masks, fins, anything goes." However, you can't use such gear if you want to compete for awards. There will be prizes for first, second and third place in male and female categories.
In the Olympic tradition, a "torch" will be carried in a relay run beginning at 6:30 a.m. from Cruz Bay along the North Shore Road to Maho Bay, according to a release. The run will end with a flame-lighting ceremony prior to the race start.
To learn more, call race director Jeff Miller at 693-5283 or the V.I. Olympic Committee at 775-4701.
