The Beauty & The Beast Triathlon is set for Dec. 8 on St. Croix, which has a long history of hosting triathlons, including “America’s Paradise Triathlon” and “IRONMAN 70.3® St. Croix.” In 2018, the new nonprofit race committee, VI TRI, announced that the newly branded race would be focused on giving back to the community. The 2019 race beneficiaries include the Virgin Islands Special Olympics, Guardians of Culture Moko Jumbies and the Lighthouse Mission.
In addition to donating all their proceeds to local nonprofits, the race committee is also extending an additional reduction in registration fees for residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands who want to compete in any of the events, including the long-course, sprint, relays and aquathlon. V.I. athletes ages 18 and over who live on St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John or Water Island can take advantage of the discount by emailing info@vitf.org. As a bonus, the special savings can be combined with the current discounted registration rates that are set to increase on Nov. 1.
VI TRI is excited to welcome back race legends Tim O’Donnell, Mirinda Carfrae and Wendy Ingraham for this year’s triathlon. The three athletes have impressive triathlon resumes. O’Donnell has nine IRONMAN® 70.3 victories, including two wins on St. Croix, two IRONMAN® wins and six Armed Forces National Championships; Carfrae has been atop the podium seven times at the IRONMAN® World Championships and still holds its run course record, as well as four 1st place finishes on St. Croix; Ingraham has posted nine top 10 finishes at the IRONMAN® World Championships. Each of the legends will be competing on a relay team as well as speaking at the “pro talk” during the race weekend events.
Race weekend festivities include a Tri-Fete in downtown Christiansted on Friday night with live music and local vendors, a pro talk on Saturday and post-race awards on Sunday evening. All residents of the island are encouraged to come out and join the athletes in town on Friday or at the finish line on Sunday to give visitors a warm Crucian welcome.
For more information on The Beauty & The Beast Triathlon, visit www.virginislandstriathlon.com.