Sept. 2, 2002 — Looking only a tad winded, St. Thomas resident David Jones sprinted over the finish line at Monday's Love City Triathlon.
"I've been training all summer," said Jones, 39.
Jones, who works at Chase Bank, said he recently ran the New York City Triathlon, which kept him in shape for this event. His time was 1:40.02.
Jones was one of 21 men, six women and eight three-person relay teams from the U.S. and British Virgin Islands who braved St. John's steep hills and hot weather for the fourth annual event. The half-mile swim began at the V.I. National Park pavilion at Big Maho Bay. This was followed by a 14-mile bicycle ride from Maho Bay to Cruz Bay and on to Coral Bay, and a four-mile run in Coral Bay.
"Well done," shouted Steve Morgenthaler as a runner made it to the finish near the Coral Bay Fire Station. Morgenthaler was one of a handful of staff from The Coral Bay School that kept track of the athletes' times. Dozens of other volunteers also assisted.
St. John resident Louise DePuy was the fastest woman of the day with a time of 1:49.03. DePuy, 33 and the controller at Maho Bay Camps, said her work on her new house cut into her training, but she still found some time to train.
DePuy, who was the chief organizer of the event, said she was relieved that the heavens didn't open up on the course since the wet roads make it dangerous for the athletes and damp for the spectators.
And she said it wasn't as hot as she expected. "But a little cloud cover would be nice," she said, taking a breather after she crossed the finish line.
DePuy was also the fastest swimmer with a time of 11:29.
The event saw some disappointments, including one broken bike. And St. John resident Jude Woodcock, who always does well in these type of events, suffered ttendonitis in her left leg. It caused her to limp as she neared the end of the run.
"It's no excuse," Woodcock said.
She and others said they raced for the fun of it.
"People really appreciate how hard the course is," DePuy added.
St. Croix captured the interisland trophy.
Here's a wrap-up of the results.
Men
1. David Jones, St. Thomas, 1:40.02.
2. Kent Bradbury, St. Croix, 1:41.29.
3. Leroy Philippe, BVI, 1:46.00.
Women
1. Louise Depuy, St. John, 1:49.03.
2. Theresa Harper, St. Croix, 1:55.14.
3. Jude Woodcock, St. John, 1:55.33.
Relay Teams
1. Shelly Anderson, Sue Brown, Rachel Witty, St. Croix, 1:43.47.
2. Alex Cann, Paul Fredsell, Regina Randazza, St. John, 1:44.55.
3. John Fitzgerald, Larry Clarke, Moe Chabuz, St. John, 1:49.55.
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