Feb. 11, 2002 – Lace up your running shoes and hit those hills for practice. St. John's sixth annual PowerAde 8 Tuff Miles Race is coming up Feb. 23.
It starts at 7:15 a.m. at the V.I. National Park ballfield in Cruz Bay and goes 8 3/8 miles up hill and down dale along Centerline Road to end up at the Coral Bay ballfield.
"It's a very demanding course," race organizer Peter Alter says.
After a two-mile uphill run out of Cruz Bay, the course flattens, but it soon begins its uphill and downhill course. As runners round the curve at the Bordeaux Mountain Road turnoff, they'll reach an elevation of about 1,000 feet before beginning a 2.5-mile downhill sprint to the finish line.
The entry fee is $20 on race day and $15 in advance. Race day registration will begin at 6:30 a.m. at the National Park ballfield. To sign up in advance on St. John, be at Baked in the Sun at the Marketplace shopping center on Feb. 21 between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. On St. Thomas, stop by Going Seanile or Players anytime. On St. Croix, register at Endurance Sports.
You also may sign up at the 8 Tuff Miles online registration site.
The money raised will help fund St. John Kids and the Sea, a program that teaches sailing and watersports skills to youths. "Last year we raised $13,500 for KATS," Alter said.
The first 8 Tuff Miles event, in 1997, attracted 21 entrants. Last year's fifth annual run drew 239. Alter says he expects about 300 people, including some from the mainland, to participate this time.
In 2001, St. Croix resident Marlon Williams won with a time of 57:03. Williams also holds the course record of 55:29, set several years ago. Gloucester, Mass., resident Regina Cutler set the women's course record in 2001 with a time of 1:01:50.
While racers get the glory, the Saturday event also attracts a large number of walkers who stride or stroll the course, some pushing baby carriages. The first three finishers in each of a dozen age groups will receive awards. All entrants receive a T-shirt. The 8 Tuff Miles Committee provides a sag wagon to transport runners' gear from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay.
Alter says the race committee still needs volunteers. "Talk to me, and I'll definitely find a job for you," he says. It could be staffing the water stations that line the course, registering participants or working at the start or finish lines.
For more information, call Alter at 779-4035 or visit the 8 Tuff Miles web site.
