Nevis Cycle & Triathlon Club

When six athletes from the Nevis Cycle Club set off on a 7.00am charter boat from Nevis to St Kitts on Sunday to compete in the St Kitts International Triathlon, little did they think they might also need a charter boat to get all the trophies they would win back with them! This was to be a great day for the Nevis athletes.
A festive atmosphere was to be found in Frigate Bay where the athletes registered and warmed up for the two races taking place. The Sprint Distance race kicked off first and consisted of a 750 metre swim followed by a 20 km bike and then a 5 km run. Nevis athletes Keith Jones and Alex Isles took part in this event, as did visiting member Gerd Weber, a distinguished Canadian amateur athlete who has previously spent many a season training with and coaching the Nevis Cycle Club. Also standing on the beach at the start line was Nel Beaumont who had travelled over from Nevis to take part in the event as part of a relay team with Jack Bruno. As the start whistle blew for the Sprint Distance race, the cheering and applause from the spectators on the beach was swelled by the shouts of encouragement from the athletes waiting in the wings for race two, and by a little laughter too from some of the athletes themselves as they battled through the breaking wakes that buffeted them, and out towards the first orange buoy that marked the swimming course. Grenadian athlete Ojea Samuel, who finished in first place in the Nevis International Triathlon in February this year, was the early leader, coming out of the water first and heading for the transition area. Ninian Cameron/Blake of St. Kitts, who at 16 years of age has made dramatic progress in triathlon this season and promises to be a strong contender in seasons to come, also had his customary strong swim and did not let up on the bike course, coming into the second transition in first place. Setting off on the run in second and third places were Nevis athletes Keith and Alex, the latter really displaying his determination by running with his bike on the last section of the bike course after suffering a puncture. Fourth into transition came Gerd who put in a strong bike leg over the gruelling peninsula course. Ojea slipped down the field due to getting a puncture on the bike course. Nel Beaumont put in a determined swim but had left her team-mate a lot of work to do coming in far down the field. Handing over to Jack Bruno he picked up the gauntlet straight away and blistered up the first hill, pulling his team up to second place after the ride. In the run, Keith took the lead and looked comfortable coming in to take first place followed by Alex in second and Ninian in third place. Jack Bruno followed his pacey bike leg with a solid run to pull his team up to finishing in first spot. A great achievement! Now, while the Sprint Race athletes gathered in areas of shade to celebrate, commiserate, replace fluids and dissect the race, the Olympic Distance competitors were out on the course giving it their all.
Now, there are not many sports where a race they call a sprint takes over an hour to complete, but you will understand better when it is compared to the Olympic Distance race which consists of a 1.5 km swim followed by a 40 km bike and a 10 km run. The athletes completing the Olympic Distance race used the same course as the Sprint Distance athletes, but they had to complete each section twice before moving on to the next one. Now, as you can imagine, this is a great arrangement for the spectators who get to see twice as much happening without moving a muscle, but for the course officials and time-keepers this is a real challenge, checking who is on their first lap and who is on their second and directing them accordingly. The officials did a wonderful job, not only keeping athletes swimming, riding and running in the right directions and handing out refreshments, but also giving cheery encouragement to all the competitors that passed them.
In the 2004 St. Kitts Triathlon Series, races of increasing distance held each month over in St. Kitts as a warm-up to the big international event, two Nevisian athletes have dominated the male individual field, namely James Weekes and Reggie Douglas. The fact that they are strong friends and training partners goes out the window for the roughly three hours it took to complete the Olympic Distance event: this was as much against each other as against the rest of the field! Both come from a cycling background with running experience, making swimming the newest string to their sporting bows. Reggie was the first of the two out of the water, emerging in the middle of the pack. But as it turned out, this gave James something to aim for on the bike leg as he reeled Reggie in hill by hill. Both athletes entered the second transition neck and neck: and so it would all be down to the run! James pulled ahead on the first lap of the run though Reggie was still in touch at the turnaround point. James remained in front throughout the second lap and was the first male national to finish. Reggie still had the energy for a crowd-pleasing sprint at the finish and his trademark smile was firmly in evidence! He finished 2 minutes behind James in a well-deserved second place. In third place was the St. Kitts athlete Royston Stevens with a determined even-paced run.
As James and Reggie have dominated the male field in the races leading up to the international event, Shannon Fitzgerald has dominated the women’s field. The winner of every race in the series, this extremely promising St. Kitts athlete is still rapidly improving and showing no signs that the improvement will stop anytime soon! Shannon was the first female national to finish. Wendy Yaphe, also of St. Kitts, started the run leg in second place, but a spirited run by Jessica Peterman pushed Wendy back to third place, making it a clean sweep for the St. Kitts ladies. In the Olympic team relay event, a visiting team of talented young athletes from Grenada took the top spot. The competitors and spectators were also treated to a demonstration in the Olympic Distance event by two visiting professional athletes whose performances really were something for all the athletes to aspire to. Richie Cunningham of Australia finished the event in 2 hours 21 minutes.