The triathlon usually takes place the first Sunday in may, but check our calendar for the official date...Click here.

St. Croix Half Ironman Triathlon

By Catherine Fahy

International sports action comes to the Virgin Islands in May when some of the worlds most competitive triathletes descend on St. Croix to compete in the St. Croix Half Ironman. This event is a qualifier for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, the St. Croix Half Ironman begins at 6:30 a.m. when the first wave of athletes plunge into the turquoise water off Hotel on the Cay for the 1.24-mile swim around Christiansted Harbor.

After the swim, they take their bikes from the staging area in front of Fort Christianvaern on a 56-mile ride that traverses the island, then run 13.1 miles to the East End and around the grounds of The Buccaneer Hotel. The winners cross the finish line on Kings Wharf roughly four hours later. Well before the start, the excitement builds on the Christiansted waterfront as spectators crowd the boardwalk and helicopters carrying sports photographers circle the cay, vying for the best angle.

Dubbed "Beauty and the Beast" for its scenic yet challenging course, the St. Croix triathlon has never lacked for applicants and has hosted at least five reigning Ironman World Champions. Since last year, though, when it became a qualifying event for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii it has gained new allure. Now, 30 top racers from St. Croix go to Kona, Hawaii, in October to compete with 1,500 athletes over a course that is twice as long as the St. Croix course.

In addition to 30 slots for Ironman World Hawaii, the St. Croix race offers 10 slots for Ironman USA Lake Placid and 10 slots for Subaru Ironman Canada. As one of 17 races worldwide that qualifies triathletes for Hawaii, St. Croix has a reputation for being a solid proving ground because of its hot, hilly terrain. Cameron Brown of New Zealand, a previous qualifer for Hawaii, told Triathlete magazine that St. Croix is "probably the hardest half Ironman around."

One of the most challenging parts of the course comes 21 miles into the bike with the legendary Beast, a 600-foot climb on a stretch of highway nearly a mile long above the North Shore. It is one of the best places to watch the race, and the number of cheering spectators that line its steep sides helps boost athletes spirits.

Another favorite spectating spot is the Hot Corner, where athletes coming from the first loop of the bike make a sharp left onto Company Street from Hospital Street. The Hot Corner also serves as a crossroads between Half Ironman and sprint course racers coming and going from the staging area on the lawn beside the fort.

The St. Croix Ironman stands to be the island's most exciting athletic event. The race grows each year in the number of participating athletes since its inception in 1988, reaching numbers of over 1000!

"The race continues to grow and we have potentially one of the best fields ever," Tom Guthrie, race director said.

Locally, several Virgin Islands athletes are register for the event. Leopold Fredericks, a monitor at the Claude O. Markoe Elementary School on St. Croix, said he is awed to be part of such a large, prestigious field. "Since it became a Half Ironman it looks like it has gotten a lot more exposure throughout the world," he said.

Of course, with the high-profile field comes the press, which includes ESPN International, EuroSport and the Outdoor Life Network. The coverage of those networks will bring the trials, triumphs and beauty of the St. Croix Half Ironman to millions of viewers worldwide.

Guthrie said the race will air during prime time on the Outdoor Life Network, which is available in 60,000,000 American homes and also airs the Tour de France.

The St. Croix Half Ironman is hosted by Project St. Croix, a non-profit organization founded by the late Betty Sperber in the 1980s to promote St. Croix. Project St. Croix has hosted the race since it began in 1988 as the Americas Paradise Triathlon and later turned into the St. Croix International Triathlon. It works year-round to secure sponsorship for the race and so far this year has signed up American Airlines, Vita Malt, Nature Valley Granola Bars, the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino, Seaborne Airlines, The Buccaneer Hotel, Stamina Sports, and many other St. Croix businesses.

Also part of race preparation is coordinating home stays for pro athletes, lining up volunteers and organizing race-week activities.Other than the race itself, one of the most anticipated activities of race week is the Christiansted Restaurant and Retail Associations Triathlon Jump Up, beginning at 6 p.m. on the Friday before the race. For many athletes, the best part of Jump Up is the Carbo Feast. As part of their registration, athletes receive free tickets to participating restaurants in downtown Christiansted, which serve up carbo-heavy dinners with a Caribbean flair.

Another fun activity for atheltes to participate in right before Jump Up is GoToStCroix.com's annual Triathlete Group Photo. We encourage all the atheltes and their teams to gather in front of our Christiansted Harbor Cam and tell their friends and family to log on to see the St. Croix scene LIVE! We then take a group snapshop and upload it to the website THAT NIGHT so that it is available immediately for people to email or print FREE OF CHARGE. We think this is a fun way to show our support of the athletes and a way for friends and family to support them from afar.

Race Week is also marked by numerous organized training swims in Christiansted Harbor and the sight of bikers and runners training on St. Croixs roads. Undoubtedly, the St. Croix Half Ironman is the largest international sporting event in the Virgin Islands, if not the Caribbean, and a great opportunity for the Virgin Islands to grow as a world-class sporting destination.

For more infomration pertaining the the race, and to learn how you can volunteer or participate, please see the official website: StCroixTriathlon.com

We have also compiled a photo album of past events here.