Inaugural Event Crowns Winners

The inaugural Drowned Island Challenge took place on Anegada the weekend of June 7 and 8. Six events took place over two days – two runs, two swims, a paddleboard race and a Beach Beer mile. Competitors from Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the BVI took part.

BVI residents Oscar McCall and Kitty Daniels took the overall Poseidon and Amphitrite awards for the top performances in the five qualifying races which didn’t include the Beach Beer Mile. There were individual awards for the top male and female runners, swimmers, and paddlers.

Day one of racing started with a challenging 12k run that looped between host venue Anegada Beach Club (ABC) and Cow Wreck Beach Bar. The course saw the runners tackling hard-packed sand roads and loose sand on the beach sections as the sun rose over Anegada. After a short break, the competitors rolled into a 1.2k swim which consisted of two loops of a triangular course with a beach sprint start, transition and finish. Wind and current on the return legs made the going tough.

After the morning’s racing competitors, friends and family were free to spend a few hours enjoying Anegada’s offerings before the afternoon’s event, a 4k downwind paddleboard race. The race started at the bridge near The Settlement and finished at The Lobster Trap with another short beach sprint finish as the sun set. After sea soaks and happy hour drinks, the racers, friends, family, and race crew enjoyed dinner on the deck, family-style, as the sun went down and a DJ spun some tunes.

Day two kicked off with a 7k road run from The Lobster Trap to ABC; a shorter distance but still challenging after the activities of the previous day, and running into the rising sun on dusty roads. An 850m downwind swim followed. Shorter and easier than the swim the previous day, the pack finished a lot closer together forcing the sprint to be a sprint, not a gentle stroll out of the water.

After the race everyone scattered on island tours, e-foil and kitesurfing lessons, massages, or to the ABC bar, before the Beach Beer Mile and prize giving in the evening.

The Beach Beer Mile was a raucous, and mildly anarchic, conclusion to the event. The race took place on a 1/4-mile stretch of beach. The race began on the starting line with the consumption of a beer, followed by a full lap around the course. The next three laps continued in a similar manner with another beer downed before starting the next lap. Following the completion of the fourth running lap (and four beers), the competitor had finished the race. Any leftover beers we helpfully finished by the competitors and spectators before heading to the prize giving at the ABC bar.