Over 50 local tri-athletes battled gusty winds on Sunday — most getting ready for the upcoming Captain Morgan Ironman 70.3 St. Croix — competing over three different distances in the Gillette Triple Play Triathlon.
An Olympic distance race of a 1-mile swim, 25-mile bike and 6-mile run forced the competitors to swim in very choppy water and battle 20 plus mile-an-hour headwinds for up to three hours. The most impressive effort of the day was put in by Bridget Klein, who handily won the women’s division in 2 hours, 33 minutes, 35 seconds. Klein is looking for a high placing in the Ironman 70.3, and it appears her training is on target. Second place was captured by veteran Theresa Harper in 2:53:33.
The Sprint race of 800-yard swim, 12.5-mile bike and three-mile run was captured in 1:27:57 by T.J. Vandehey, who is racing in a 70.3 race in San Juan in just a few days. The women were headed by Jen Andrews, who started with a strong swim and lead from the gun in a time of 1:30:20.
The Try-A-Tri was won by youngster Dominic Pugliese in 56:50. He completed a 300-yard swim, 6-mile bike and 1.5-mile run.
The Olympic distance also featured a team relay. The team of Burns, Brown and Berkstoffer won handily in 2:36:50.
The Captain Morgan Ironman 70.3 St. Croix’s date of May 4 is fast approaching. For more information on both the Gillette Triathlon Series and the Ironman can be found at stcroixtraithlon.com.

Results for Gillette Triple Play Triathlon – April 6, 2014 – Cramer’s Park, St. Croix
Olympic Men Total Time
1 Wayne Nichols (50-59) 2:23:44
2 Troy Holloway (40-49) 2:30:11
3 Scott Fricks (50-59) 2:38:26
4 John Harper (50-59) 2:45:44
5 Win Thomas (60-69) 2:59:30
6 Mike Klein (40-49) 3:00:56
7 Whitney Kemper (60-69) 3:07:00
8 Patrick Cox (30-39) 3:11:30
9 Todd Newman (60-69) 3:16:44
10 John Hourihan (50-59) 3:21:01
Women
1 Bridget Klein (30-39) 2:33:35
2 Theresa Harper (40-49) 2:53:33
Relays
1 Burns, Brown, Beckstoffer 2:36:50
2 Hatfield, Kennedy, Capriola 3:03:00
3 Jaschen, Ferdinand, Satenay 3:11:02
Sprint Men
1 TJ Vandehey 1:27:57
2 Mervin Mills 1:37:44
3 Smokey Odom 1:41:00
4 Brian Crandall 1:51:41
Women
1 Jen Andrews 1:30:20
2 Dulcie Crowther 1:35:50
3 Laura Bolf 1:37:04
4 Laverne Fredericksen 1:43:06
5 Sarah Reardon 1:46:48
6 Rachel Carroll 2:24:20
Relays
1 Castagno, Castagno, Castagno 1:25:35
2 Doyle, Moore, Tatum 1:26:40
3 Righam, Davis, Kalathakis 1:28:35
4 Peifer, Peifer, Burns 1:36:16
5 Bishop, Miner, Alicea 1:54:03
Try-a-Tri
1 Dominic Pugliese 0:56:50
2 Ros Turner 1:08:46
3 Doug Powell 1:15:18
4 Regina Mesick 1:19:46