Bay Islands Voice - News magazine for Roatan, Utila and Gunaja

Jockeying for position in knee-deep water on West Bay Beach under sunny skies with a slight breeze on the morning of March 6, a group of male professional athletes waited for the signal that would kick off the second annual Bay Islands Triathlon. One of the last qualifying opportunities for the Athens Olympics, the triathlon attracted 173 competitors from 22 countries.
The Elite men contestants, the majority lean with almost zero percent body fat, were eager to begin the first leg of the triathlon. Donning swim goggles and flashy spandex they pushed forward in the water while North Carolina-based Set-Up Inc. organizer Bill Scott simultaneously counted down and warned the athletes not to crowd the line. Two minutes behind but close on the heels of the Elite men would follow the Elite women; four minutes later the first of the amateur groups was scheduled to begin the 1.5 kilometer swim.
The race was divided into sprint (1.5K, 25K, 5K) and Olympic (1.5K, 40K, 10K) events. The elite, professional racers competed on the Olympic distance. The novice and age group racers had a choice of competing on the Olympic or the short course and the teams competed only on the sprint distance.
Leslie Brown was the event's race director second time running and has seen the number of athletes almost double. In 2003, 103 contestants from 12 countries entered to compete in the International Triathlon Union rated race. Competitors from as far away as Hong Kong made the trip, according to Brown.
The geography and climate of Roatan, with its steep hills and hot weather, makes the island a tough place to compete. The course was modified this year to make it easier and reduce the number of inclines.
"The hills killed me," on the cycle route between the Mayan Princess Beach Resort on West Bay and West End, said German-born Alexandra Wendt-Consten, who took the highest honor in the female amateur category.
At least two athletes had accidents while cycling the difficult route West Bay to Sandy Bay cemetery route. Amanda Stevens, of Enid, Oklahoma, suffered two abrasions one on her thigh.
The race kicked off at 7:30 am. With a breeze shattering the smoothness of the bay waters and kicking up small waves, some athletes struggled to finish the swim. "We have twice as many kayaks (nine) this year" to prevent any problems, said Brown, who was particularly concerned with the safety of the swimming competition. Three powerboats were also on hand.
"The water was worse than choppy," said 58-year-old West End resident Donna Dunn of the Dream Team relay. "It was so bad I got a little seasick out there. I couldn't see the buoys," provided to aid the athletes find their way around the triangular-shaped course. "I swallowed about a gallon of water."
Dunn, who was an alternate backstroke swimmer for the 1968 United States Olympic team in Mexico City, held her hand to her chest as she struggled out of the water. She trained hard, but refused to quit smoking. "I smoke five cigarettes a day when I train" and "as many packs as I can" when no race is on the horizon. Basking in the sun while soaking in the Mayan Princess pool after the race she said: "I'll keep doing this until I get Alzheimer's, but right now it's time for rum and cokes and cheeseburgers."
Winner of the Elite female division was Susan Williams of Littleton, Colo. Williams beat last year's champion and this year's second place finisher Sheila Taormina, a 1996 Olympic gold medal winner from the United States, to the finish line located on the beach in front of West Bay's Henry Morgan beach resort.
Competing in dozens of competitions worldwide each year, Williams has become a connoisseur of water courses. "This was definitely the prettiest swim I've ever done," she said. The waters of West Bay are home to pristine coral reefs and abundant sea life.
Williams, mother of a three-year-old, said Roatan's tropical climate didn't slow her down. "Luckily there was a nice breeze, although the tail end of the (40km cycle) ride did start to get hot," she said. Williams credits the win to her strength at overcoming hills. "For a second though, during the first part of the run, I thought that maybe I worked to hard on the hills," she said.
Debby Jr. Miralda, a local islander, participated as a runner on the relay team sponsored by Roatan Realty. "I was about to give up but I really wanted to finish," said Miralda, a second-time competitor in the race. He stuck with the race and improved his last year's time from an hour to 50 minutes. The team lost its original sponsor and Mike Brown from Roatan Realty picked the sponsorship at last notice. "It's great to see the locals achieve what they set out to do," said Brown.
The race didn't go-off without glitches and last minute saves. The West Bay road potholes got their annual makeover the day before the event, likely reducing the number of biking accidents to three.
For three days before the race South-Easterly winds blew into the island. The West Bay beach and swimming course was protected from the wind by land but the gusty wind made the biking portion of the race even more difficult.

As a racer cruises past El Diablo curve in West Bay, ambulance paramedics and red cross volunteer Saida Reyes (right) place a neck brace on No. 30 racer, Benjamin Gogg, 22, from Florida. "I was coming just too fast. My front brake locked-up. I tried making it for the culvert, blew my front tire [and] went right over the handlebars," said Gogg. Traveling at over 80 Km/hour the triathlete landed on the back of his head and rolled several times ending up on the side of the road. Gogg was taken to Roatan Hospital and later to Jackie Woods medical clinic for examination. He suffered a bruised kidney and contusion of lower back. Gogg spent two years competing on the amateur circuit and was starting in his first race as elite- professional racer. He works as an Ocean Rescue paramedic in Boca Raton.

2004 Bay Islands Triathlon RESULTS

On Sunday, March 7, the third annual Taste of Roatan kicked off at Las Palmas. The rain kept the number of visitors lower than at the previous events, still around 450 people showed up. Puro Sol, Sherwin Greenwood & the Boys, Garifuna Dancers and Shocking Tribe - a Hip-Hop band from Oak Ridge - kept the visitors entertained.
Averyl Muller and Dian Lynn organized the event that returned to its fund-raising profile from two years ago. With around 30 sponsors contributing $100 each, the event raised about $3,300. Half of the money will go to support the children's pediatric unit at the Coxen Hole hospital; the other half will help the French Harbour medical clinic.
The first event in 2002 raised $4,300 to buy a water pump for the Roatan Fire Department. "They saved two houses from burning with it already," says Lynn.
Lynn is considering moving the event to Sunday, a week after the Bay Islands Triathlon: "A lot of people are just too tired from the Triathlon to come."
With limited space available, the venue could only accommodate 13 restaurants. Still, five new restaurants paid the Lps. 500 fee and joined the group. Among them were the three recently opened: Casa Marta, Les Boucaniers and Dian's Garden of Eat'n.

It seemed like every inhabitant of Saint Helene sailed into the Los Fuertes Harbour to support their team in the championship final on February 29.
Superstars ended the season in first place and had to face runner-up Stars in a double-header match-up to decide the league champion. Los Fuertes' Superstars scored a 3:2 victory over Saint Helene on February 21, 2004 in the first play-off game, and Saint Helene Stars was faced with catching up. "They can be a little too confident. When they fall behind, they play better," said Jamera Thompson, team's doctor.
The first half ended in a 0:0 tie with both teams entertaining sporadic attacks against the other. 20 minutes into the second half a penalty shot was called against Superstars and Regan Bodden placed a low kick past the Los Fuertes goalie. The overall game play-off score stood now at 3:3.
With no winner decided, the game went into a 30 minute overtime. No golden-goal rule applied and if the overtime ended in a tie, the game would go into penalty kicks.
Five minutes before the end of the overtime's second half, No. 9 Luis Adrian Norales, dribbled the ball past two Superstar midfielders and got to the penalty mark. Norales passed the ball from left to right foot and lobbed a lethal shot past the Los Fuertes goalie Tulio Sanchez. The Superstars tried several last minute attacks, but failed.
Trainer Junior Garden headed the Saint Helene team who will face winners of five department football leagues: Santa Barbara, Cortes, Atlantida, Colon and Yoro for a place in the second division. The Stars, sponsored by Wolly Bodden, captured the island championship title four years ago.
With a winner of the island league decided, the dilemma remains about the play-off field. The Jerry Hynds stadium is too small to accommodate games outside island league and the temporary stadium in Coxen Hole will be turned back into a baseball field.