St. Barths’s Fabien Husson finishing the Ironman in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two weeks ago.
PHILIPSBURG—After an absence in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the popular Boardwalk Triathlon organised by the Friendly Island Triathlon Association (FITA returns this Sunday to the boardwalk in Philipsburg.
The event almost had to be cancelled due to COVID taking a heavy toll on the economy resulting in a shortage of sponsors but fortunately Belmond La Samanna came through to help make it happen.
Last year a “virtual” Boardwalk Triathlon was organised so people from here and around the world could complete a triathlon and upload their results. It was a nice option when it was not possible to organise outdoor events.
Aside from local participants from St. Maarten and St. Martin on Sunday, 10 athletes will be coming over from Saba. The St. Barths Triathlon Club, always a great supporter of the event, will also be participating.
At the top end of the racing spectrum, this year sees the return of Guadeloupe triathlete Olivier Noglotte who has won the Boardwalk numerous times, and it will be interesting to see how he matches up with St. Barth’s Fabien Husson as the two rivals will be racing in the Olympic category.
Husson, the winner of the SMEC Duathlon and prior to that the Sunset Beach Triple Mini Triathlons, just returned from a successful finish in the Tulsa Ironman in the US, where he also qualified for the Hawaii Ironman.
Expect to see a very close race from these two top athletes. Participants have the choice of entering the Sprint or Olympic distances. The Olympic is a 1500-metre swim, 40K bike, and a 10K Run.
The more popular sprint category is a 750-metre swim, 20K bike and a 5K run. Categories are Individual Men and Women, Teams and Juniors.
The race starts on the beach opposite Taloula Tango Restaurant at 7:00am. Registration is on www.trisportsxm.com website. Entry fee is US$25 per person and US$20 for juniors under 18 years plus teams.
Organisers are asking car drivers to pay attention to cyclists who will be riding on the Buncamper Road, the Pondfill and Cay Hill areas between 7:30amd and 9:30am.
