History was made when Captain Teddy Seymour, a St. Croix resident, pulled up his anchors at the Frederiksted pier on Feb.24, 1986, and embarked on a 17-month voyage around the world. When he returned on June 19, 1997, in his 35-foot fiberglass sailboat, Capt. Seymour was not certain that he was the first Black man to circumnavigate the world solo in a sailboat. Making history was not his intention.
While Seymour spent seven years carefully planning his voyage, he also worked as a kindergarten teacher at Grove Elementary School and could be seen running the roads of St. Croix in his spare time.
Seymour was an All-America Cross-Country runner at Central State University, an officer in the United States Marine Corps, and a veteran of the Vietnam War.
The Toast-To-the-Captain Road Race, founded in 1987 by one of Seymour’s best friends, Wallace Williams, has been run almost every year since history was made. The 8.4-mile road race starts near the Scale House in Christiansted during Black History Month, not only to honor Seymour but also in memory of those who were enslaved on St Croix. Seymour has run the dedicated race more than a dozen times.
Last Sunday the race was held in memory of Seymour; he passed away from illness at the age of 81 on April 11, 2023.
There were 41 participants. Billy Bohlke dominated the rolling 8.4-mile course in a time of 53:58. Juan Robles was a distant second in 57:28. Both Bohlke and Robles started running on St. Croix as youngsters and admired Seymour greatly. Matias Porporato was third in 58:42.
Bridget Klein easily ran to a first-place finish in the female division in a time of 58:41. Alex Gutting was second in 1:08:56, while Esther Ellis was third in 1:09:28. The top three male Masters runners were Tony Maysonet, Mike Klein and Randy Nielsen. In the Female Masters division, Kat Brownsdon and Jan Powell were the leaders.
The race was made special by having present several “old time” runners to share a few memories about Seymour. Dr. Marlon Williams also volunteered at the aid station on the course. George Jules, who still holds the Toast-To-The-Captain course record, accompanied runners on his bicycle. Bohlke International Aviation sponsored the medals, and Larry Williams provided the post-race breakfast.
Virgin Islands Road Racing
Virgin Islands Track and Field Federation
Toast-To-The-Captain Road Race
Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 6 a.m.
Christiansted, St Croix, USVI
Men Name Time
1 Billy Bohlke 0:53:58
2 Juan Robles 0:57:28
3 Matias Porporato 0:58:42
4 Deve Barbour 1:03:36
5 Dominic Pugliese 1:04:00
6 Blake Schluter 1:07:39
7 Antonio Maysonet 1:10:25
8 Carlo Pedrini 1:18:28
9 Geoffrey Campbell 1:21:25
10 Mike Klein 1:24:30
11 Randy Nielsen 1:29:46
12 Willy Edwards 1:34:49
13 Troy Schuster 1:50:21
14 Will Franks 1:57:05
15 Ricardo Simmons 2:04:49
16 Bob Halk 2:10:04
Paul Evora DNF
Women Name Time
1 Bridget Klein 0:58:41
2 Alex Gutting 1:08:56
3 Esther Ellis 1:09:28
4 Alice Porco 1:09:54
5 Kat Brownsdon 1:10:30
6 Amanda Parker 1:10:33
7 Heidi Snow 1:16:39
8 Kirra Lambert 1:18:16
9 Megan Mault 1:18:17
10 Sarah Vaughan 1:21:17
11 Kelly Simon 1:30:06
12 Cecelia Nyman 1:34:48
13 Charlotte Sheldon 1:34:50
14 Brin Goldman 1:39:39
15 Kelsey Hill 1:39:40
16 Olga Capriola 1:47:18
17 Jan Powell 1:48:35
18 Kate Bartoldus 2:16:46
19 Janine Schuster 2:16:47
20 Annibel Schwartz 2:21:56
21 Tasnim Khan 2:21:57
22 Ana Gutierrez 2:21:58
Dulcie Crowther DNF
Allison Janusziewicz DNF
