Bridget Klein Wins 28th Annual Toast-To-The Captain 8.4 Mile Road Race

According to the V.I.Pace Runners Bulletin, the celebration of Black History Month featured the running of the 28th Annual Toast-To-The Captain 8.4 Mile Road Race on Saturday, Feb. 1, on St. Croix. A few dozen runners, who are made up of those who know and run with Teddy Seymour and those who just wanted to pay tribute to him, toed the line from the Customs House of the Christiansted National Historic Site of the National Park Service where the race has started and finished for its 28 years.
New comer Bridget Klein, who moved to St. Croix in June and is newly wed to V.I. Ultra Champion Mike Klein, dominated the 2014 V.I. Marathon Championship in December and came back Saturday to win the overall title for the Toast-To-The Captain 8.4 Mile with a time of 59:51 for a 7:08 per mile pace. Paul Evora finished second and first for males in 62:43 for 7:28 per mile pace. Jason Snow finished third in 63:05; Dedrick Luikens was fourth in 63:27; Jay Gleason was fifth in 63:43; Theresa Harper was sixth and the second place female in 64:24; Erik Von Kaenel was seventh in 67:28.
Notes:
1] A review of the race history confirms that Klein is only the second female to win the overall title as Ruth Ann David did it in 2011 with a time of 57:52.
2] Seymour is the first black man to sail around the world alone. The St. Croix sailor and former elementary school teacher in the Virgin Islands public school system, set sail on Feb. 24, 1986, from the pier in Frederiksted, St.Croix, where he returned on June 19, 1987.
3]. Also a runner, Seymour was an All-American cross-country runner at Central State University in Ohio.
4] Seymour is also Vietnam veteran and captain in the United States Marine Corp; he ran for the Marines at Quantico.
5] He is a marathoner and a sub 4:10 miler. He ran the race on Sunday and hosted the group for post-race awards ceremony at Twin City Coffee House.
6] The rolling hills course is also the first leg of the bike route for the St. Croix Half-Iron Man Triathlon.
7] Wallace Williams, founder of The Virgin Islands Pace Runners, who originated the race when Seymour was out to sea on his circumnavigation, has run the race several times and has directed each event.
For full results, logon to: http://virginislandspace.org. For information: e-mail wallacewilliams@msn.com or call 643-2557