Almost 200 people charged into the water at Maho Beach Sunday morning for the eighth annual Beach-to-Beach Power Swim.
The swim consists of three courses beginning at the north end of Maho Beach. The 1-mile short course ends at Cinnamon Beach, the 2.25-mile intermediate course at Trunk Bay Beach, and the 3.5-mile long solo and relay courses end at Hawksnest Beach.
Overall winner of the 3.5-mile swim was Bryson Mays, who set a course record at 1:10:32, topping the previous record of 1.11.10 set in 2006. Mays, a 16-year-old St. Croix native, practices six days a week, and said he took part in this race for fun. He is preparing for multiple events this summer, including the Youth World Swimming Championships in August in Lima, Peru.
Barb Crowder, the first woman to complete the solo Hawksnest course, had a time of 1:21:04. She came all the way from her home in North Carolina to swim. She also participated in the event in 2004 and 2007, winning the first year and taking second in 2007.
Crowder wasn’t the only swimmer to travel for the race. Participants came from the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and one from Spain.
“There is a sub-culture of folks who plan their vacations around this sort of thing,” said Joe Kessler, event organizer and president of the Friends of the VI National Park.
Kessler promotes the event through the media, posters, previous swimmers, and by contacting more than 250 master swim clubs within the states. In past years the race has had participants from Hawaii, California, Washington and Alaska.
Spectators and participants agreed that the day was ideal for swimming. Although readily admitting their exhaustion, swimmers praised the calm conditions and were glad to leave the water without stings and bites. Many commented on the collections of fish, stingrays, and other ocean life in reefs.
Senator at-large Craig Barshinger completed his eighth year, this time in the assisted category. He attributed his time of 1:27 to friend Walter Lewison, who gave Barshinger a 35-year-old pair of heavy rubber fins that gave him the edge he needed to complete the race.
“Swimming is a great way of staying fit,” Barshinger noted. “The cares, fog, general numbness of the day are alleviated when you get in the water.”
Self-proclaimed swim-mom Gail De Haas waited patiently for her 15-year-old daughter to cross the finish line. De Haas turned 45 Sunday and is excited just to support her daughter.
Julianna De Haas, winner for her age group of 0-16, said that this is her first year doing the solo Hawksnest course.
“I’m happy with my time. I haven’t prepared for the race because of exams,” she said.
Marilyn Smith, marine science professor at UVI, waited at the finish line with a broken thumb. Smith had intended to swim until she hurt herself less than a week before the race. She came out to support her husband and friends, and hopes to participate next year.
A complete list of the race’s winners will be available later in the week.
Those who are interested in participating in 2012 can consult the website, www.friendsvinp.org. Those who want to volunteer next year can contact Audrey Penn at apenn@friendsvinp.org.
