An event some call one of the greatest races in sports returns to St. Croix on May 4, and Captain Henry Morgan will be at the finish line.
The Captain Morgan Ironman 70.3 St. Croix Triathlon is expected to draw more than 600 entrants to the island, including some of the world’s elite athletes.
The event is hosted by Project St. Croix, a nonprofit organization founded by the late Betty Sperber in the 1980s to promote the big island.
“The eyes of the Ironman world will again be keenly focused on St. Croix, as athletes from more than 40 states and 30 countries travel to our beautiful island to challenge the Beast,” said Tom Guthrie, Project St. Croix’s race director, referring to the monstrously steep bike leg of the race.
“In addition, it looks like we will have another great pro field in 2014. Reigning St. Croix champs, past St. Croix champs, a reigning Ironman world champion, past Ironman world champions, Olympians … you get the drift," he said.
Guthrie said Cat Morrison, Mirinda Carfrae and Leanda Cave will head the women, with Richie Cunningham and Tim O’Donnell leading the men.
This incarnation is the 26th anniversary of the Ironman on St. Croix.
Placing in the top 30 on St. Croix qualifies athletes to go to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in October to compete with 1,500 athletes over a course that is twice as long as the St. Croix course. In addition, slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mont-Tremblant Quebec are open.
The Captain Morgan Ironman 70.3 St. Croix begins at 6:30 a.m. on May 4, when the first wave of athletes plunge into the turquoise water off of Hotel on the Cay for the 1.24-mile swim around Christiansted Harbor. Climbing out of the Caribbean, they take their bikes on a 56-mile ride that traverses the island, followed by a 13.1-mile run to the east end and around the grounds of The Buccaneer Hotel.
One of the most challenging parts of the course comes 21 miles into the bike portion with the legendary “Beast,” a 600-foot climb on a stretch of highway nearly a mile long above the North Shore. It is one of the best places to watch the race, according to the organizers.
The winners will cross the finish line on Kings Wharf roughly four hours after the start. Captain Morgan and a crowd of onlookers and perhaps triathlon hopefuls will meet them there.
“We are incredibly proud to call St. Croix the home of Captain Morgan rum,” said Bob Bowman, vice president of Diageo USVI, where Captain Morgan branded rums are made for the U.S. market. “The legacy of our brand is built on real-life adventurer Captain Henry Morgan. We think Ironman triathletes display the same characteristics as Captain Morgan as they compete fiercely and live adventurously in their own way.”
More information about the race is available at the race’s official website: www.StCroixTriathlon.com.
