Adam Cole and Meriel Steadman will forever remember their BVI Half Marathon debuts and so will Zebalon McLean for another reason.
Mr. Cole and Ms. Steadman were winners of Saturday’s 6th OGIER Deloite BVI Half Marathon saw 64 participants with several recording personal bests and Mr. McLean claiming a five-year-old BVI National Record.
About 40 of the 64 participants covered the course that included 33 men and 31 women in under two hours, which had six different winners.
After six years of course record improvements, the tussle between Mr. Cole and St. Thomas’ Thomas Layer was settled after former champ Steven Asson faded in the last mile. Mr. Cole produced the second slowest winning mark in the history of the event, covering the 13.1 miles from the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds to Port Purcell, down to Pockwood Pond and return in 1 hour, 28 minutes and 56 seconds.
Ms. Steadman also making her Half Marathon debut chopped more than a minute off Trinidad and Tobago’s Shermin Lasaldo’s Nov. 20, 2010 course record of 1:35.35,’ after stopping the clock at 1:34.09.’
Meanwhile, Mr. McLean became the VI’s fastest over the distance, chopping more than a minute off Mark Downing’s five-year-old National Record of 1:35.52,’ established in Dominica on Nov. 25, 2006, after running 1:34.45.’
For his effort, Mr. McLean will join other track and field athletes collecting a Sol National Record Breakers award during the Dec. 28 BVI Athletics Awards Recognition Gala.
“With no OECS athletes this year, this was a great event, so it was a bit of a dice throw as to who was going to win,” said race director Kay Reddy, who was 14th among the women. “We had a good support of participants and several coming from St. Thomas. It was an evenly matched race.”
Final Results
Men: 1. Adam Cole, 1 hour 28 minutes and 56 seconds. 2. Thomas Layer, 1:29:37. 3. Steven Asson, 1:31:04. 4. Zebalon McClean, 1:34:45. (National Record. Old Record, Marc Downing, November 25, 2006) 5. Curvin Andrews, 1:38:46. 6. Ravindra Sukhu, 1:39:18. 7. Adrian Dale, 1:42:24. 8. Charles Bartholomew, 1:43:35. 9. Mario Reuber, 1:47:32. 10. Kevin O’Neal, 1:48:37. 11. Richard Morgan, 1:50:49. 12. Jonathon McCarthy, 1:52:10. 13. Charles Kerins, 1:52:40. 14. David Whiteley, 1:52:56. 15. Chris Conway, 1:54:02. 16. Rupert Allen, 1:54:14. 17. James Carr, 1:54:46. 18. Will Dehoc, 1:55:15. 19. Aron Takeuchi, 1:57:37. 20. Andrew “Tubes” Thompson, 1:59:03. 21. Simon Crook, 1:59:27. 7. 22. Howard Moore, 1:59:37. 23. Alex Jarvis, 1:59:39. 24. Ray Wearmouth, 1:59:51. 25. Garfield Neita, 2:03:05. 26. Peter Richenstein, 2:05:40. 27. Bill McKay, 2:08:29. 28. Mathew Moss, 2:09:35. 29. Chris Ghiorse, 2:10:07. 30. Filip Kreutzer, 2:11:35. 31. Gabriel Obregon, 2:17:08. 32. Stephen Beard, 2:58:50.2. 33. Robin Tattersall, 3:18:34.
Women: 1. Meriel Steadman, 1:34:09. (New Record. Old Record, Shermin Lasaldo, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:35.35, November 20, 2010.) 2. Maria Mays, 1:40:18. 3. Clare Louise Whiley, 1:44:13. 4. Joy Bryan-Silva, 1:44:23. 5. Megan Murooch, 1:45:21. 6. Ashley Macko, 1:45:57. 7. Angela Berry, 1:53:12. 8. Philomena Robertson, 1:55:08. 9. Kim Takeuchi, 1:55:31. 10. Christine Thomas, 1:55:34. 11.Victoria Bezemer, 1:55:58. 12. Ni Made Oniasih, 1:56:56.13. Anne Monroe, 1:57:08. 14. Kay Reddy, 1:57:18. 15. Sarah Hayes, 1:57:23. 16. Lisa Parfitt, 1:58:03. 17. Leslie Macko, 2:01:21. 18. Elizabeth Killeen, 2:01:54. 19. Joanna Wilkenson, 2:02:51. 20. Teal Hetrick, 2:04:08. 21. Stacy Diandiala, 2:05:17. 22. Casey McNutt, 2:05:41. 23. Michelle Jones, 2:06:14. 24. Tiarra Lindemann, 2:06:15. 25. Jacqueline Wilson, 2:07:27. 26. Dara Smith, 2:15:17. 27. Debbie Bell, 2:17:10. 28. Noni Georges, 2:28:00. 29. Monika Danic, 2:29:21. 30. Anna Kinkead, 2:49:26. 31. Gaelle Maduro, 3:00:15.