Olympian Alex Kostich wins his 16th Coral Reef Swim in St. Croix

The Friday downpour had a few people nervous, but as usual the weather conspired to provide a perfect sunny weekend for the 19^th Annual Coral Reef Swim in St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Swimmers of all ages gathered from over twenty states and from as far away as Denmark and Australia to race in one of three distances: five miles, three miles, or one mile.

The race is best known for its signature distance the challenging but beautiful five mile race which features a sandy beach start from a small uninhabited island two miles off the coast of the mainland and an awe inspiring sunrise boat trip to arrive there. All of the proceeds from the race are donated to The Nature Conservancy to protect the coral reefs surrounding the island which provide the backdrop for the race.

Almost as much a signature of the event is the champion and former USA National Team member, 44 year old Alex Kostich, who won his 16^th title in the five mile distance on Sunday in a time of 1:54:06.

St. Croix native and 15 year old Matthew Mays came in second overall in a time of 2:03.28. In a very tight finish that came down to the sprint up the sand to the palm frond finish Mays held off fellow youngster 19 year old Michael McGean from Lincoln, MA beating him by just one one-hundredth of a second. The top female finisher in the five mile distance was local favorite 41 year old Jen Andrews swimming in her eighth Coral Reef Swim and winning in a time of 2:30.33. Andrews was challenged closely by Liz Uribe, 27, from Iowa City finishing just 23 seconds behind to secure the second place female position overall.

The 18 and under category for men and women in the longest distance was swept by the local swimmers from the Dolphins Swim Team of which Mays is also a member. The team had an impressive showing with eight members competing in the race. On the girls side 15 year old Chloe Phillips-Hayden won her age group and was third female overall in a time of 2:32:49 followed closely by Lidia Boguslawska (13) at 2:33:05, and completing the podium was Jalena Vialet (14) in a time of 3:06:49. On the boys side Matthew Mays was followed by Jonathan Thomas (15) with a 2:10:12, and not far behind in third was Webster Bozzo (15) in 2:11.21 .

In the two mile distance 17 year old Nathanial Greeley from Durham, NC won in a time of 55:52. The first female in this distance was Megan Jones a 35 year old from New York City in a time of 1:11:34. Winning the one mile event with a time of 36:45 also from New York, New York was Marc Gershal (42) followed closely by the women’s champion Catherine Milton (46) from St. Croix in 36:55. Awards for all age groups over 18 were also given. For complete results visit www.swimrace.com.

Pre-race activities include a complimentary swim clinic by Alex Kostich and Olympic Gold Medalist Misty Hyman for new open water swimmers, a pre-race talk complete with google earth sighting guides, and a cocktail party at the historic host hotel The Buccaneer’s original stone sugar mill that features local entertainment and a welcome from the hotel’s owner and manager, Elizabeth Armstrong, who is the founder of the race and swims the five mile distance each year. Not only is the race a great event, but it is also a great destination. Most make a vacation out of the trip.

This year the race also featured an open water swim camp for triathletes and open water swimmers hosted by New York City’s Tailwind Endurance coach Earl Walton alongside guest coach Misty Hyman. The camp which leads up to the race includes five days of open water swims at different locations around the island, daily swim clinics and workouts in the the Dolphins Swim Team’s 50 meter pool, tourist excursions, snorkeling, local dining, and more.

Next year the race will celebrate its 20^th anniversary. This race is one of the original great open water swims, and continues to be a must for open water swimmers of all stripes.

For more results and to sign up for next year’s race and swim camp visit www.swimrace.com.

Open Water Swimming News courtesy of  the Coral Reef Swim.