Wall2Wall Sprint Triathlon Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Tradewinds staff
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Top three relays (Photo courtesy VITF)

Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of the first Wall2Wall Sprint Triathlon at Cane Bay, St. Croix. While the course has changed slightly since then, it still boasts the same breathtaking finish, the Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation announced.

The Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation extends its gratitude to Ray Lutz, a former triathlete and endurance runner, for founding this exciting race, according to the press release.

In the 800-meter swim, two relay swimmers from the Dolphin’s Swim Team, Kalonji VonShilling-Royer and Sawyer Holley, were neck-and-neck, while Matias Porporato led the individual competitors, finishing over a minute behind the two. The relay competition remained fierce as VonShilling-Royer handed off to cyclist Jerry Remie and Holley to cyclist Julie Sommer. Porporato overtook both Remie and Sommer on the 13-mile bike course, with Stephen Swanton closing in on Sommer. Porporato held his lead during the out-and-back 5K run, securing first place with a time of 1:07:45. Stephen Swanton finished second in 1:11:53, and Billy Bohlke, a previous W2W champion, rounded out the top three, the press release stated.

Cycling experts Norbert Prospere and Guy Augustin pushed hard to catch up to the relay leaders, but Remie maintained his advantage, handing off to runner Mikaela Smith, who led their team to victory in the relay division with a time of 1:08:46, finishing second overall. Mason Lambert, feeling the pressure from his GHCDS Cross Country teammate Ayden Cintron, ran a strong race to secure second place in the relay. Lambert’s team held off Cintron’s by less than a minute, with the trio of Gyasi Ganter, Norbert Prospere, and Cintron finishing third, the release stated.

Men’s final three (Photo courtesy VITF)
In the Women’s Division, Arlene Gatti clocked the fastest swim time at 16:48, but V.I.’s top female cyclist, Robin Seila, quickly took the lead on the bike. Megan Mault, Vice President of VITF, overtook Gatti and newcomer Sarah Gallalee to move into second place. Seila, with a commanding 7-minute lead after the bike, cruised to victory with a time of 1:27:38. Despite not feeling at her best, Mault held on for second place, while Gallalee secured third after a strong run, it said.

The Try-a-Tri, a shorter event designed to introduce or reintroduce athletes to triathlon, featured four participants. The race included a 400-meter swim, a 6.5-mile bike ride, and a 1.5-mile run. Blake Schluter claimed first place overall with a time of 45:17, while Jan Powell, the first female finisher, came in second at 1:02:14. Seven-year-old Luca Donahue was the second male finisher, and his mother, Alison Killelea, was the second female, it said.

Next on the VITF calendar is the Junior Duathlon, set for Sunday, Oct. 20, at 8 a.m. at Altona Lagoon Park in Gallows Bay. The run/bike/run event is open to kids ages 5 to 15.

Click here for official race results.

For more information, please contact 340-513-2707