St. Maarten roadrunners athlete Oscar Williams climbing a steep trail on the 25K course with a beautiful backdrop of St. Maarten below.
MARIGOT--The first edition of the Crédit Mutuel Trail Run organised by Association Dream of Trails attracted 143 participants on Sunday, April 16, in the three distance categories on offer; 7K, 17k and 25K. This was an event that offered a course for everyone: from walkers and weekend warriors, to super fit intermediates, to hard core trail runners. The most popular category without a doubt was the 7K which drew 85 participants, 54 of whom were women. The race, with all three categories combined, began with a mass start from the end of the breakwater at Marina Fort Louis and finished in the car park of Galisbay. All participants finished the race. The 7K was short but intense with a nice trail along the coastline and two climbs, one being Fort Louis. The 17K and 25K were both very technical with about 9K of the course inside Bellevue, however participants were treated to beautiful views, green trails and steep ravines. Runners came from Guadeloupe and Saba, and also visitors from Brazil, France, and the USA. The 7K was won by Omarco Robinson (35:06) followed closely in second place by SXTreme Runner Andy Amongon (36:47) and third Xavier Dias (37:10). The women’s category was won by Murielle Lancien Paul (40:18), second went to Charlotte Overath (41:06) and third Nathalie Maniez (42:30). The 17K (36 runners) was won by 1:52:42, second Kevin Judic (2:06:29), and third Julien Chabeuf (2:08:50). The women’s category was won by Aurelie Million (2:47:55), second Cindy de Oliveira (2:48:02 and third Sabrina Losada (2:55:00). It was no surprise to see SXM Tri Academy’s Gregory Pigeon winning the 25K race (22 runners) with a finishing time of 2:42:11, followed in second place by Gabriel Pertusot, also SXM Tri Academy, in 2:44:32, and third place Daniel Kalakech (2:55:52). Dream Of Trails runner Anne Roehrig won the women’s category, with Frederique Distin (Team Trail Café) in second (4:55: 34) and third Nathalie Nyssen (Team Trail Café) 4: 58:17. Two St. Maarten Roadrunners athletes toughed out the 25K, Krispijn Teunissen, Roadrunners President, who finished 18th overall in 4:08: 26 and Oscar Williams (5:04: 34) tackling his first ever long-distance trail run. “It was very challenging, physically and mentally but at the same very rewarding with the beautiful views of St. Maarten from the top of the mountains,” said Wiliams. “It was well organised event by Dream of Trails and I would definitely do it again.” "We didn't expect such good performances", said President of Dream of Trails, Esnard Avanet, who was at the finish line to record the last finishers. "We made sure that the courses were pleasant but still challenging enough for the 17K and 25K". Team Saba had representation in all three categories. The event was made possible by Crédit Mutuel, Tri Sport, Gym Fit, Quiksilver, and Instant Floral. Complete results are on the Tri Sport website.
Aurélie Million, winner of the 17K race, running in Bellevue. 143 intrepid runners took on Crédit Mutuel’s first Trail Run
