Dec. 9, 2004 – George Jules got back into training only a few weeks ago; his effort in the 30th V.I. Half Marathon on Nov. 28 reminded the field of 30 runners why he was able to add a fifth win to his credit for this 13.1-mile road race.
Jules' time of one hour, 17 minutes and 35 seconds began with an early pace that included a number of sub-six-minute miles. He was unchallenged the rest of the way. With his daughter Tesha on the route cheering him on, he dominated the race and climbed Kingshill, the toughest rise in the race, as if he was doing a training drill.
Theresa Harper, a member of two V.I. National cross-country teams, a marathoner and secretary of the V.I. Cycling Federation, has come in second in the race before; this year she outdistanced the field of female runners to win in 1:39.25 — a time good enough for seventh overall. Tesha Distad was second in 51:08 and Louise Stapleton was third in 2:04.34. Betsy Gladfelter, former Director of the West Indies lab in St. Croix, who has won this race more than any other woman, traveled from Woods Hole to run on her old course.
In the men's race the first three finishers have won the race in the past. Calvin Dallas, a two-time Olympic marathoner and multiple McDonald's Half-Marathon race winner, made the race look easy as he cruised in at 1:23.09 and finished second overall. Marlon Williams, vice president of the V.I. Olympic Committee and four-time Olympian in the marathon, 10K and 5K, said, "I'm running this one for ole time sake." He had challenges midway through the race from Leopold Fredericks, Steve Burkholder from St. John and Richard Jean Pierre. With a couple of surges near the 10K mark near the scenic Carambola Golf Course, he put distance between them. Fredericks was fourth in 1:30.25, Burkholder was fifth in 1:33.25 and Pierre was sixth in 1:33.32.
The race was organized by the V.I. Pace Runners, whose founder and race director, Wallace Williams, has finished second in the event over the years and won his age group several times. On race day Williams said, "It is most appropriate that many of the past winners still dominate the long-distance running in the territory, it represents what discipline and hard work are all about. Today we have people in this race who have run over sixty marathons [Larry Williams, a founder for the prestigious Rock & Roll Marathon], we had great support from our sponsor Ann and Cosmo Williams of McDonald's [They were presented with a special commemorative plaque by V.I. Pace], great volunteers (too many to name here) who have been with us over the years. And this race could not have happened without permission of the chief of Police and the support of the school-crossing guards who manned the intersections on the race route. Sargent Santos has been the lead Police vehicle for more races than I can count, we can always depend on him for his dedication and experience."
Sen. Ronald Russell, who is also president of the V.I. Track and Field Federation, was on hand to sign certificates and support the event. He mentioned a little about the history of road running and people like Cipriani Phillip who was one of the pioneers in the organizing of the sport back in the '70s.
The V.I. Half-Marathon, "The Race Against Drugs" (the St. Croix designation) is a 13.1-mile road race organized by the V.I. Pace Runners and sanctioned by the V.I. Track and Field Federation. The race originated on St. Thomas in 1976, where it is organized by STAR, the St. Thomas Association of Road Runners. It alternates biannually between St. Croix and St. Thomas. Clive Mills was the founding race director for the event in the early years on St. Thomas. Vernon Eddy, Mario Thomas, among others, were involved also. In the later years when STAR became the organizer, Roy Watlington, Vince Fuller and other STAR runners were the primary movers for the event.
On display near the finish line for Sunday's race was a collage of photographs of past V.I. Half-Marathons. Judge George Cannon, a past winner of the event in St. Thomas and stalwart long-distance runner, who is now recovering from knee surgery for an old football injury, showed up to support the race on his motorcycle. He admired the photos and held the finish-line tape with Sen. Russell for the winning female.
Results:
Male Overall
1. George Jules 1:17.35
2. Calvin Dallas 1:23.09
3. Marlon Williams 1:28.14
4. Leopold Fredericks 1:30.25
5. Steve Burholder 1:33.25
6. Richard Jean Pierre 1:33.32
7. Paul Erickson 1:42.58
8. Mike Klein 1:43.11
9. Gunnar Sanden 1:43.23
10. Jody Star 1:46.11
11. Roger Hatfield 1:51.28
12. Will Franks 1:52.54
13. Ray Ruiz 1:54.22
14. Carlos Lopez 1:54.44
15. Mark Kennedy 1:57.00
16. Errol Chichester 2:05.33
17. Delschlagen Dietrich 2:08.37
18. Todd Harris 2:10.50
19. Larry Williams 2:11.58
20. Robert Stamper 2:25.22
21. Antonio Cuencas 2:31.09
22. Mike Hill 2:32.06
Female Overall
1. Theresa Harper 1:39.48
2. Tesha Distad 1:51.08
3. Louise Stapleton 2:04.34
4. Teresa Stamper 2:08.05
5. Linda Whitaker 2:08.05
6. Betsy Gladfelter 2:18.35
7. Cathy Prince 2:27.27
8. Janet Jean Pierre 2:35.29
Male 20 and Over
1. Paul Erickson 1:42.58
2. Jody Starr 1:46.11
3. Carlos Lopez 1:54.44
Male 30 and Over
1. George Jules 1:17.35
2. Mike Klein 1:43.11
3. Todd Harris 2:10.50
Male 40 and Over
1. Marlon Williams 1:28.14
2. Leopold Frederiks 1:30.25
3. Richard Jean Pierre 1:33.25
Male 50 and Over
1. Calvin Dallas 1:23.09
2. Steve Burkholder 1:33.32
3. Roger Hatfield 1:51.28
Male 60 and Over
1. Gunnar Sanden 1:43.23
2. Ray Ruiz 1:54.22
3. Larry Williams 2:11.58
Female 30 and Over
1. Theresa Harper 1:39.48
2. Tesha Distad 1:51.08
3. Louise Stapleton 2:04.34
Female 40 and Over
1. Cathy Prince 2:27.27
2. Janet Jean Pierre 2:35.29
