The St. Croix International Marathon will be held on the morning of Jan. 1, 2001.
The 26.2 mile race is the only one scheduled in the world to date on New Year's morning and will have the distinction of being the first of the millennium. Purist believe the millennium begins on Jan. 1, 2001, because of the absence of a year zero.
The event is organized by the Virgin Islands Pace Runners and is hosted by the Sunterra Carambola Beach Resort and will start and finished at the resort.
Initially the race was to be a major world-class event with the focus on inviting 2000 runners, including some of the fastest marathon runners in the world by offering major prize money. Those plans have been altered to a great degree, according to event organizers.
The focus now is to provide runners, local runners in particular, the opportunity to be a part of history by participating in this special event. The race will be only the second official marathon run in the Virgin Islands. The first was held in April of 1979 in St.Croix.
Originally to be run from Point Udall to Frederiksted, the run has been changed to the North Shore Road for safety reasons. There the course route is situated on a road with less automobile traffic than the heavily used South Shore Road for its duration, which will start at 5 a.m. and last
over three hours.
Those serious about participating are encouraged to attend the marathon clinics scheduled on Thursday nights. The next clinic is at the office of The Williams Chiropractic Clinic in Estate Richmond at 7 p.m.
The deadline for entering the race is December 25. Race entry form and more information is available at 777-0258 or online by clicking here.
