The 2007 Steelman Olympic distance triathlon got off to a blistering start last Saturday. A record 46 competitors entered, with athletes coming from Miami, St Maarten and the USVI to compete in the grueling event.
The eager competitors began the first leg of the competition, a 1500 swim in Well Bay. As the swimmers kicked and splashed their way round the triangular course, Anthony “Chorpedo” Spencer, in his usual casual fashion , took control of the race.
Spencer was first out of the swim, followed closely by Sue Tucker and Kevin Drysdale. Overall at the end of the first leg, Spencer led the solo event for the men, with Eddie Robbins from Miami in second and Iron Man Peter Wilmott in third.
Sue Tucker led the race for the ladies, with Teresa De Witt, from St Maarten, in second place and Adele Perrot in third. For the teams, The Rusty Men held first with Ogier I in second and Team BVI in third.
In the transition phase from the swim to bike, the ladies race was hotting up, with Julie Anne Pearson completing a searing 1 minute transition to overtake Rachel Johnson for forth place and putting only seconds behind Adele Perrot.
In the second leg, competitors completed a 40k bike race from the airport up to the college. The mid pack of ladies engaging in a fierce competition. Johnson seized back her position from Pearson, but they were both outdone by Sally Blackmore who stomped out a devastating ride to overtake them both. Meanwhile at the front of the pack, Sue Tucker led the race for the ladies, only to have a puncture in the last lap allowing DeWitt to close the gap in second place. Blackmore elevated herself from sixth to third place with Johnson only seconds behind.
In the mens race, Spencer increased his dominating lead and Robbins maintained second place. Wilmott held on to third, but only just, with Simon Cook biting at his heels. In the mid pack, Tim Clipstone made headway moving from sixth to fourth place.
In the team race, Team BVI moved from third to first place, with the Rusty Men dropping to second. John Rochester put in the fastest bike time in the team competition accelerating team Rochesters from sixth to third place.
In the second transition from bike to run, the competitors were starting to feel hot and tired, with a 10km run ahead looking particularly unappealing. Cook took advantage of Wilmotts weariness to start the run ahead. While Pearson completed another blinding transition, closing the gap on Johnson.
Spencer maintained his lead to take the Steelman title in a record breaking two hours and twenty one minutes. Robbins dropped his pace in the run, allowing Cook to take second place and John Folmsbee from the USVI to take third.
Steven put in a shattering 10km run in just over 34 minutes, a good 10 minutes faster than the next best time, which allowed the Rusty men to take the team title. Cara Scoles put in a solid run allowing the Rochesters to nab second place, beating Team BVI into third.
Full results at www.tribvi.com. The next triathlon is the Sports Club sprint triathlon in February. BVIRunners host the first 10km run at the Sports Club next Saturday.