Juan Robles is currently the top distance runner for the Virgin Islands National Team; Mireille Smith is an All-American distance runner who won an NCAA title and now coaches her children and the St. Croix Track Club. Both are familiar with the fast and slightly downhill 3Kings Mile course in Frederiksted. Since the Crucian Festival 3Kings Parade made a permanent move from Christiansted in the 90s, runners take advantage of the sloping course from Claude O. Markoe School to King Street and Fort Frederik, the route for the parade.
Robles cruised through the 800m market at the corner of Fisher and King Streets in 2:07 and to the finish of the one-mile race to take top honors in 4:19. Kelvin Benjamin of the St. Croix Track Club was second in 4:48 and Randall Nielsen of Superior Court was third in 4:52.
Smith, mother of Michele, Mikaela, Michele and Malique, needed to hold off Rachel Conhoff, and she finished first for the third year in a row with a time of 5:42; Rachel Conhoff of St. Croix Track Club was a close second in 5:44; Karen Dascent went on to take third in 5:49.
Barthelemy Peter, Shlomo Willilams and Shumell Williams were the top male junior finishers; Deanna Roumo, Collette Cooney and Ashlee Paddie took the honors for the females.
Teddy Seymour, Will Franks and Willie Lewis took honors in the masters age group.
For more results, go to: http://virginislandspace.org.