The Red Bull BVI X-Tri, held annually in the off-road wilds of Smuggler’s Cove and Belmont, will take place on Saturday, March 21. The event, for a second year, will also include an Aquathon.
The three-discipline X-Tri starts with a 600-metre, two-lap swim in Smuggler’s Cove which includes a trademark sprint around a flag on the beach at the end of the first lap. Competitors then embarked on a four-mile bike circuit which sees the cyclists climb the north side of Belmont Drive, and then descend the south side, before heading west around Steele Point and back to Smuggler’s Cove beach. The race finishes with a two-mile run along Arawak Drive and back along Palm Drive.
The event’s Aquathon (swim/run) comprises a three-lap, 900-metre swim and two-lap, four-mile run. A kids event will follow the X-Tri and Aquathon.
Veteran triathlete Kay Reddy broke the women’s X-Tri record last year with a finish time of 58 minutes and 24 seconds, taking just under two minutes off the time set by Carolina Pettigrew in 2006.
In the men’s division, there was a terrific tussle between Adrian Copacaneau and Guy Williamson.
Whilst Adrian was quicker on both swim and bike legs, Guy’s pure running speed saw him home to win his first BVI triathlon in 54 minutes and 18 seconds. The men’s record of 48 minutes and 50 seconds set by Michael Ellis in 2011 was never under any threat.
Another tussle ensued in the inaugural Aquathon between Aaron Gardener, Mungo Lowe and Federation president Antony Spencer. Lowe and Spencer finished the swim together with a solid advantage over Gardener but a determined chase saw him catch first Lowe and then close in on Spencer who just managed to hang on to win the event, setting a new target time of 48 minutes and 5 seconds.
Event registration is at the Tortola Sports Club, 5.30pm to 6.30pm on Friday, March 20th.
Full 2014 Results | 2014 Photos
Kids Event
A Kids event with three age categories will be held after the adult events. Age categories are 7 and under, 8 to 10, 10 to 13, based on age at 31 Dec 2015. Boys and girls will race together but be scored separately.
4 Islands Cup
The Red Bull BVI X-Tri will be the second event in the 4 Islands Cup, a new series comprising the seven main events of the 2015 BVI triathlon year. Tash Ruscheinski and Antony Spencer currently top the ladies and mens divisions after the TSC Tri, the first event in the series.