Kwanzaa Run Results: Titre Leads Men, Benson Leads Women

Just a week after winning the seven-mile “Kean Challenge” race, Buronny Titre has added another seven win to his trophy case. This time instead of seven miles it was the seven kilometers of STAR’s (St. Thomas Association of Roadrunners) annual Kwanzaa Run. At the same time, Ashley Benson continued her winning ways, leading all of the women (and most of the men) to finish as women’s champion. Although the 7K (or 4.3 mile) race was run over a new course, the winner’s times of 30:49 and 31:23, respectively, compare well to the times of last year’s winners, Thomas Lay and Ruth Ann David, and now represent new records.

The race was held as a benefit for the Rwanda Project, which, in 2008 and 2010 sent V.I. students to Rwanda to work as volunteers, learn about the culture and make friends. Appropriately, in the two- mile race, Andrew Casazza and Zoë Banfield, veterans of the Rwanda Project, captured the male and female leads. Their respective times, 13: 36 and 13:39, reflect sub-seven minute pace per mile over the challenging course, as did the time of second place male finisher, eleven-year-old D’Ajohni Peterson (13:37). Julia Casazza finished second for the women in 19:10. Other noteworthy finishers were Rwanda Project President Barbara Young and George Casazza, both of whom power-walked the two miler, as well as by Caleb Tavernie and Lukata Samuel, who finished first and second in the teenage group of the 7K event.

The 7K men’s overall champion was challenged throughout the race by Rian Bareuther, who finished just seven seconds behind. Steven Laplace was third overall and first in the 40s age group in 32:01. Kristina Fink captured second place for the women (37:59), with Sonia LeBlanc third (45:19). Peter Smith, running in the pants of a Santa suit, finished 26 seconds behind Laplace. In the mature age group, Bill Mooney outpaced his challenger Walter Bostwick while Margot Murray led the women in this group. Gayle Deller was the only power-walker in the 7K, resisting jogging to the very end.

Complete results follow below. STAR’s next event will be the Martin Luther King Jr. 5K run in January. Details will be announced.

Two-mile run or walk:

Andrew Casazza – 13:35.25

D’Ajohni Peterson – 13:36.52

Brandon Rhymer – 17:32.42

George Casazza – 26:58.56 (walking)

Burrony Titre – 30:48.52

Rian Bareuther – 30:56.76

Steven Laplace — 32:00.21

Peter J. Smith — 32:26.13

William McConnell – 32:57.01

Takumba VanPutton – 35:35.24

Eric Browne – 36:09.65

Caleb Tavernie – 37:32.64

Jason Budson – 38:07.74

Lukata Samuel — 40:28.58

Bill Mooney – 45:22.17

Dwight Payne – 51:51.19

Walter Bostwick – 51:51.20