On Saturday morning Zebalon McLean got to do something he hasn’t done in road races on Tortola — break the tape.
The 2011 Male Road Runner of the Year, reeled in Adam Cole and Steven Asson with less than a mile from the finish, to win the first race of the fifth annual Blenheim Trust 5k Series, which opened on Tortola with 41 participants.
Falling off the pace just past the 3k water stop, over the next 1.5 kilometre, Mr. McLean overhauled Messrs. Cole and Asson to win the ‘City Circuit’ race in 19 minutes and 06 seconds. Mr. Asson was second in 19:14 and Mr. Cole — the 2011 BVI Half Marathon champion — third in 19:18.
“It isn’t that I caught them—they came back to me,” Mr. McLean noted. “For some time, Asson had been telling me that I’m faster than him but he’s stronger than I am and what I should do. Today is the first time I followed his instructions and it paid off.”
Mr. Cole said he was just trying to keep pace with the leaders. “This was my first race since the BVI Half Marathon, so I’m just getting back into the swing of things, but the race was a good one,” he noted. “It was a great race all through, but I fell off in the end.”
Ni Mande Onaish was the first woman to cross the line. “I was surprised,” she said. “It’s the first race and it’s a good way to start. I’m very happy.”
Final Results
Men: 1. Zebalon McLean, 19:06. 2. Steven Asson, 19:14. 3. Adam Cole, 19:18. 4. Ravindra Sukhu, 20:30. 5. Adrian Dale, 20:40. 6. Antony Spencer, 20:56. 7. Curwin Andrews, 21:28. 8. Andrew Thompson, 21:45. 9. Richard Francis, 21:48. 10. Emrol Amsterdam, 21:54. 11. Jacques Roux, 21:54. 12. Anthony Thom, 23:03. 13. Matthew Plimer, 23:42. 14. Heath Copland, 23:44. 15. Jonathan Bailey, 23:49. 16. Stefano Tasking, 24:58. 17. Filip Kreutzer, 25:05. 18. Joe Standish, 25:15. 19. Andrew Willins, 25:31. 20. Howard Moore, 26:54. 21. Chris Ghiorse, 27:19. 22. Marvin Flax, 28:04. 23. Stephen Beard, 31:54. 24. Ken Guiste, 34:37. 25. Richard Parchment, 36:22. 26. Dameon Percival, 42:55.
Women: 1. Nimade Oniasih, 23:36. 2. Philomena Robertson, 24:03. 3. Casey McNutt, 25:59. 4. Adenike Sicard. 28:36. 5. Noni Georges, 29:14. 6. Sally Blackmore, 30:22. 7. Darwn Peters, 31:39. 8. Roslyn Gilbert, 39:24. 9. Ghislaine Hoogendijk, 40:03. 10. Ella Christopher, 41:40.
Walkers: 1. Victoria Ghiorse 2. Ava Ghiorse (walk/ride) 3. Kishama Percival. 4. Pauline Robinson.
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