An international field of 193 swimmers participated in the five-, two- and one-mile open water swims on Sunday, Nov. 12. The sold-out five-mile race originated at Buck Island National Monument, while the two-mile began at Pull Point and the one-mile at Shoy’s Beach. All three events ran concurrently and ended at the palm-shaded shore at The Buccaneer’s Mermaid Beach.
Swimmers ranged in age from 12 to 78. Hundreds of onlookers cheered on their friends and family as they enjoyed the steel pan band on the beach and a delicious beach grill lunch.
The Coral Reef Swim was founded by Elizabeth Armstrong, owner of The Buccaneer, and her friend Kim Rice Sanfor, in 1996. It has become one of the top open-water events in The Caribbean.
Eric Huuki, 22, from Pipersville, Penn., led the field of 41 in the five-mile course, with a winning time of 1:47:33. Ricardo Valdivia, 58, from South Miami, finished on his heels in 1:47:40. St Croix’s Kaeden Gleason, 16, finished third by a whisper in 1:47:43. 25-time. Coral Reef participant and 21-time winner Alex Kostich finished fourth in 1:47:48.
Female five-mile winners were Jill Lancaster, 23, from Barrington, R.I. (2:15:37), followed by Allison Keller, 47, from Charlotte N.C. (2:17:20) and Lisa Hibberd, 60, (2:17:47), from Tortola, British Virgin Islands. There were 25 female five-mile swimmers.
The 22-person 2-mile male event was won by Cole Cullinan, 13, from St Croix, with a time of 52:06, while second place was claimed by Bryan Mason, 48, from neighboring St Thomas (54:21). St Croix’s Matias Porporato, 31, finished third (56:18).
Lexie Kelly, 36, from Laguna Beach, Calif., had the women’s and overall first-place winning swim in the two-mile event (49:57). Second for women and second overall for the two-mile swim was Morgan Garner, 16, from St Croix, while the third spot was won by Emily Rose, 30, from McClean, Va., (1:04:22).
The one-mile male event was a St. Croix sweep with winners Daryan Maynard, 15, (22:46); Nick Crikelair, also 15, (27:30); and Scott Fortier, 29, (28:56). (Maynard was the one-mile race winner in the 2022 race).
The female one-mile race was won by 14-year-old Kyleigh Rychlik from Maple Valley, Wash., (23:59), right on the heels of the time for male winner Daryan Maynard. Maynard’s sister Diella (13) was second for females and also second overall (26:16). She was the second-place winner in 2022. 19 -19-year-old Rachel Todebush from Miami finished third (26:30) in the 39-person event.
Race sponsors included The Buccaneer Beach and Golf Resort, AeroMD, Caribbean Sea Adventures, Teroro II, Bellows International, Cruzan Rum, Coca-Cola, Big Beard’s Adventure Tours, St. Croix Yacht Club, Massage Academy VI and Sea Sports St Croix.
The race committee is grateful also to the many volunteers on the sea and on land who made the race possible, including St. Croix Rescue and EMTs, U.S. Coast Guard, St. Croix Fire Department, and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
The 28th Annual St Croix Coral Reef Swim is slated for Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. For more information on the swim and accommodations packages, visit www.Swimrace.com or www.thebuccaneer.com
