Under glowing early-morning skies along St. Croix’s Southside Road, 22 runners gathered at ARTfarm for the annual Farm-To-Park Prediction Run, a five-mile event that rewards precision over pace.
Unlike traditional races, the unique format challenged participants to estimate their finish time for the point-to-point course from ARTfarm to East End Marine Park—without the aid of watches or timing devices. Victory went not to the fastest runner, but to the one who came closest to their predicted time.
Kevin Burton claimed top honors, finishing just 19 seconds off his estimate. Joey Liburd secured second place, missing his predicted time by 35 seconds, while Billy Bohlke rounded out the top three, just 41 seconds off his mark.
In the women’s division, Bridget Klein delivered the closest prediction, finishing 58 seconds off her estimated time to place fourth overall. Heidi followed as the second female finisher, clocking in 1 minute, 13 seconds off her prediction and placing fifth overall, while Hannah Wisdom was third among the women, finishing eighth overall with a difference of 1 minute, 49 seconds.
Awards were also presented to the day’s fastest runners. Ayden Cintron posted the quickest overall time in 28:18, while Klein doubled up with the fastest female time of 34:02.
One of the day’s standout performances came from 10-year-old Jamal Rogers, who, despite never having run more than a mile before, completed the full five-mile course in an impressive 46:08, hinting at a promising future in the sport.
The event once again highlighted the camaraderie and creativity of the local running community, turning a simple road race into a test of strategy, self-awareness, and endurance.
For information about running in the VI and/or the St Croix Road Racing Committee, please contact tcharper@yahoo.com or call 340-513-2707
