20th Wall2Wall Triathlon
Theresa Harper – St. Croix
The 20th anniversary of the first Wall2Wall Sprint Triathlon was held at Cane Bay. While the course has changed slightly since the initial outing, it still boasts the same breathtaking views of the North shore of St. Croix. The Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation (VITF) would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to Ray Lutz, a former triathlete and endurance runner, for funding this exciting race.
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 competitions, 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.
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.
In the Women’s Division, Arlene Gatti clocked the fastest swim time at 16:48, but VI’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.
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 Schulter 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.
