In the third annual Semi Steel held on Sunday (November 2) on Beef Island, Russell Crumpler successfully defended his 2014 title and broke the course record established by Antony Spencer in 2013.
Crumpler completed the course in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 55 seconds, taking 42 seconds off the record. Richard Morgan was second 59 seconds behind Crumpler. Tash Ruscheinski was first in the ladies division (1:17:47).
Crumpler was first of the two out of the water with a 39-second advantage. Morgan managed to turn the tables on Crumpler during the bike leg and gain a small 3-second lead. However, on the final run, Crumpler was able to put a minute between himself and Morgan to claim his second Semi Steel title and record.
I’m not the only one, the sole team, saw swimmer Martin Trott and runner Melissa Brunner recording the fastest times for the day in their legs.
Fifteen intrepid triathletes braved the rain, lightning, and wet roads to swim, bike, and run around Beef Island.
The Semi Steel, is a warm up event for the BVI Steelman which also takes place at Beef Island.
Final Results
Mens Individual
1 Russell Crumpler – 1hr03m55s
2 Richard Morgan – 1hr04m54s
3 Daniel Mitchell 1hr09m07s
4 Simon Cook – 1hr11m18s
5 Gary Salter – 1hr15m50s
6 James Drury – 1hr18m49s
7 Aaron Gardner – 1hr19m37s
8 Shane Donovan Bike – DNF
Ladies individual
1 Tash Ruscheinski – 1hr17m47s
2 Kerry dos Santos – 1hr22m41s
3 Sarah Carroll – 1hr28m11s
4 Cayley Smit – 1hr31m02s
Teams
1 I’m not the only one (Martin, Laurent, Melissa) – 1hr05m40s
FULL RESULTS WITH SPLITS | MORE PHOTOS
4 Islands Cup
After the Semi Steel, the fifth event in this six event series, Antony Spencer and Tash Ruscheinski are still top of the leaderboards but the pressure is still on – both could fall at the final hurdle.
After total series domination with a flawless score to date, Spencer’s decision to not compete in the Semi Steel has opened the door for Morgan to snatch the series from him. Now, Spencer must compete, and place at least second, to take the 4 Islands Cup – this would result in a points tie which would be broken by the number of wins. Equally, Morgan needs to win the Steelman, with Spencer placing third, to take the series. No one else is now in contention.
For the ladies title, Tash also needs to compete in the Steelman to ensure her win, if Kay Reddy or Jenny McIvor are competing. A no-show could see Kay, Jenny, or even Sarah Jane Carroll taking the prize.