St. Croix swimmer Bryson Mays, 17, surprised even himself Sunday morning at the 9th Annual Beach-to-Beach Power Swim on St. John’s North Shore, tying his time from last year down to the second.
Race volunteers and the crowd cheered him on as Mays claimed the gold for the third year in a row with a time of 1:10:40 for the long 3 1/2 mile swim. Passersby joked that he should get an award simply for tying himself.
"I was just having fun and not as concerned about the outcome," said Mays. "I brought it home a little more that last stretch, but other than that, it was pretty much the same as last year."
Also participating for fun was Brittney Iverson, who finished first for women competing in the long course with a time of 1:17:37.
"I did this for fun just to see if I could do it," said a breathless Iverson. "I didn’t decide I wanted to do this till a week ago."
Nearly 300 swimmers competed alongside Mays and Iverson in different categories with varying distances. All agreed that conditions were perfect as they boasted crystal clear waters that allowed them to see a range of sea creatures as well as swim through a relatively smooth current.
St. John residents Mia Dixon and Chelsea Meyer, both 23, recounted sea turtles, vibrant fish and even a sting ray swimming beneath them during the race, but they weren’t deterred.
"You don’t really have a choice. You have to finish," said Dixon who noted hunger was a major challenge compared to sea life.
Jodi Gomez, a 30 year-old participant from Trinidad, said, "It’s always beautiful. It’s like sightseeing under water."
Like Gomez, many participants travel to compete in races like the Beach-to-Beach swim. Competitors are typically members of swim clubs, but all types of swimmers are welcome.
Joe Kessler, president of the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, noted that some people schedule vacations around races, so they come to not only compete, but to relax.
"There are a lot of people from the states and people from all over the world," said Kessler as he counted off participants from Alaska, Mexico, Spain, Argentina and more.
The race begins at Maho Beach with a short course of approximately one mile ending at Cinnamon Beach, an intermediate course of 2 1/4 miles ending at Trunk Beach, and a long course of 3 1/2 miles finishing at Hawksnest Beach. Swimmers participated in solo, relay and assisted categories. In the assisted, competitors may wear fins and/or goggles.
Full results can be viewed at www.friendsvinp.org/swim/results_12.htm .
Winners
Short Solo:
Female- Annie Emery 23:30
Male- Christopher Hayes 23:48
Short Solo Assisted
Female- Adena Andrews 23:59
Male- Brad Douglas 24:11
Intermediate Solo
Female- Carol Boten 54:06
Male- Judd Davis 58:39
Intermediate Assisted
Female- Tammy Zitello 54:44
Male- Todd Lappi 52:52
Long Solo
Female- Brittney Iverson 1:17:37
Male- Bryson Mays 1:10:40
Long Assisted
Female- Mindy Michter 1:31:42
Male- Tory Lane 1:15:12
Long Relay
Female- Scott, Baird, Vento 2:02:02
Male- Dasher, Mays, Hendricks 1:13:21
Relay Assisted
Hatfield, Thame, Viele 1:47:30
