SIMPSON BAY--Local and international athletes will descend onto Maho Beach on Sunday, March 31, for the annual Triple Mini Triathlon hosted by Sunset Beach Bar. This short and fun event consists of three mini triathlons, each one including a 200 meter swim, 8km bike ride and 2Km run.
The first mini triathlon starts at 7:00am with a swim, bike and run. The racers will have one hour to complete the event before starting the second triathlon at 8:00am, this one changing the sequence to run, swim and then bike. The third and final race starts at 9:00am with a swim, followed by a run and finishing up with the bike. The cycling portion of these three races will take place on the Airport Road between the Maho roundabout and the Pelicans Roundabout at the airport. Organisers and St. Maarten Police are therefore asking the general public to be vigilant and considerate of the bikers when driving in this area between 7:00am and 10:00am.
“The faster cyclists are sometimes moving at speeds of 40 to 50Km so please be patient and give them the right of way for just a minute or two while driving on the Airport Road," said Juan Pablo Piscione, President of the Friendly Island Triathlon Association (FITA). "On the other hand, we also have kids competing and beginner athletes who are not as street savvy or fast, so please take your time driving and cheer them on." St. Martin's top triathlete, Gregory Pigeon, will be competing again this year. His best times are under 25 minutes for each race. The three race times are added together and the shortest times win the day. The categories are Kids under 12, Teens, and adult age groups. A new category of 60+ has been added for men and women as FITA has noticed an increasing number of athletes taking part in the events over the age of 60. Visiting triathlete, Amy Cox, who won last year's female category, will be on the starting line again this year.
She will have her work cut out for her as she goes head-to-head with St. Martin's fastest female triathlete and previous winner, Caroline Doublecourt. The original triathlon members, Malcolm Maidwell and Frits Bus, started the Triple Mini Triathlon back in the early 90's when it was held in Mullet Bay. They were pioneers of the time as no event such as this was taking place anywhere else, yet a similar format is now an Olympic discipline of Triathlon.
Registration is still open all this week and can be done online at www.trisportsxm.com/events. The entry fee is US$15 per person which includes breakfast after the event at the Sunset Beach Bar.
