Saturday’s Dive BVI 10k on Virgin Gorda was billed as the “The Beast” by organisers, but competitors called it the “toughest race” in the Virgin Islands.
The course had multiple steep inclines between Savannah and Pond bays.
Twenty-four runners and walkers competed in the event.
Curwin Andrews took an early lead in the race, but it wasn’t long before Ravi Sukhu took control of the race with Adam D’Monte close behind.
Mr. Sukhu would pull off the win, while Mr. D’Monte took second place. Mr. Andrews was third.
It was Mr. D’Monte’s second race of the season.
“I really didn’t know what to expect,” said Mr. D’Monte, a Cane Bay resident. “It is the first half of the half marathon, so I am possibly thinking about doing that race. I wanted to give it a try and see how it goes.”
He finished in 46 minutes and nine seconds, but he wasn’t concerned with his time.
“Any race that you start and finish is a good result,” Mr. D’Monte said. “It is all about getting out and being involved in the community.”
Mr. Sukhu stayed ahead of Mr. D’Monte for the entire race, which helped pull him along.
“It is nice having a target,” Mr. D’Monte said. “The man is a machine. He just runs and runs. I got close to him a couple of times, but I think he was just trying to make me feel good.”
Mr. Sukhu finished in 45 minutes and 42 seconds.
“It was really tough,” Mr. Sukhu said. “Probably the toughest race I have run in the BVI.”
Mr. Sukhu plans to run the VG half marathon on May 17. Since Saturday’s 10k course will be part of the half marathon, Mr. Sukhu was happy to run the challenging race to gain valuable course experience.
“It is very challenging, I have a lot of work and training to do,” Mr. Sukhu said, who recently won the Dive BVI 5k series. “Timing wasn’t an issue for me, I just wanted to get over the course and see what it was like.”
Mr. Andrews took third place in the Men’s Division with a time of 49:23.”
“Today was a bit tough, because I am not a hill guy,” Mr. Andrews said. “So, the hill guys had the advantage over me.”
The 49-year-old VG resident said he has done a lot of races throughout his running career.
“I realise I am getting old, but I am still running strong,” Mr. Andrews said. “I have kicked a lot of butt and I believe I have the ability to do it again.”
In the Women’s Division, NiMade Oniasih crossed the finish line first with a time of 55:21.” However, Kim Takeuchi, who started late, would take the victory with a time of 53:08.”
After the race, Ms. Oniasih thought she had taken the victory, since she was the first woman to cross the finish line.
“It was a great course,” Ms. Oniasih said. “It is the hardest I have ever run, but the view made me enjoy it.”
She said the hills were challening and at times seemed “never ending.”
“When I reached the top it made me happy, because I knew I would be going down hill,” Ms. Oniasih said.
While some people struggled with the descents because of the stress that it puts on the knees, Ms.Oniasih “loosened up” her body.
“I only had a little pain in my calf,” she said.
The next race in the Dive BVI 10k series is on May 3 and will feature the second leg of the half marathon.
The race starts at 6 a.m. with registration at 5:45 a.m.
RESULTS
Men: Ravi Sukhu, 45:42, 2. Adam D’Monte, 46:09, 3. Curwin Andrews, 49:23, 4. Ezron Simmons, 52:07, 5. Patrick Ormond, 54:21, 6. Charles Kerins, 55:41, 7. Stephano Tasking, 1:00.11, 8. Shane Donovan, 1:00.35, 9. Wilbert Samuel, 1:13, 10. Gerald Rose, 1:25, 11. Zoltan Birinyi, 1:32, 12. Zeblon McLean – DNF
Female: Kim Takeuchi, 53:08, 2. NiMade Oniasih, 55:21, 3. Vivian Toro, 58:31, 4. Lucy Smith, 1:01, 5. Casey McNutt, 1:05, 6. Harriet Robertson, 1:06, 7. AJ Syrett, 1:08, 8. Ghislaine Hoogendyk, 1:14, 9. Becca Knight, 1:15, 10. Christina Yates, 1:50
Power Walkers: Gerald Rose and Christina Yates
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