By Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
Julius Farley, center, Katrina “Kat” Lindsay right, shares title with twin sister, Gayle. Photo: Andre “Shadow” Dawson
Julius Farley told Island Sun Sports that he didn’t expect to win Saturday’s 20th edition of the Deloitte-Ogier BVI Sunrise Half Marathon, which marked the third time he has won the race that Simon Cook founded in 2006, after he got his first victory in 2017 and his second in 2021.
In the women’s race, Katrina “Kat” Lindsay, shared her seventh successive crown with twin sister Gayle.
Farley, who was injured leading into the race, overhauled fast starting Jermaine “JJ” Ricketts 10 miles into the 13.1 mile race that began on A. O. Shirley Grounds went to the Delta Gas Station turn, then down Tortola’s south coast, around the Steep Point incline to finish at Smugglers Cove, to win in 1 hour 30 minutes and 54 seconds. Oliver Terry passed Ricketts to finish second in 1:34.22 to Ricketts’ 1:36.28 in third.
“JJ went out hard as usual, led the way for over nine miles, I caught him, tried to encourage him by telling him he could do it but said that he couldn’t so I continued,” Farley reflected after the race. “To be honest, I was in no shape to think I could have won the race. I have been nursing an injury for the past couple of weeks. Only since I returned from vacation, I went out with JJ as I was nursing the injury and sometimes I didn’t go. For the last week, it has been bothering me more so I didn’t think I would have won today.”
His plan, Ricketts said, was to keep a steady pace after separating from the field between Clovers and Digicel on Waterfront Drive, heading to West End. Around the 10 miles mark, his legs began to get weak. He began slowing and Farley caught him, then Terry later on. “I still tried to get to the finish line as fast as I could in pain,” he said. “My strategy is to separate myself from the pack as soon as possible, keep a steady pace and I strategize very well, but in terms of training, I don’t think I’d meet the criteria for a Half Marathon.”
Farley became the second three times winner tying Shane DeGannes—the only 3-peat champion from St. Thomas—who won in 2012, 2013 and 2014. “It’s a good feeling to have won three times,” Farley said. “When you’re not at your best, you do your best. I wasn’t at my best today, but I give thanks for how it went.”
In the women’s race, Katrina shared her seventh successive title with twin sister Gayle, as both were timed in 1:40.54. Sarah Latham finished third in 1:55.23 as the only three runners under two hours.
“It wasn’t intentional because Gayle had said that she wasn’t sure how her leg would be feeling of if she was even going to finish, so she was just taking each Kilometer as it game,” Katrina, who like Gayle trained in Kenya and Uganda for last month’s Chicago Marathon, and were both injured after. “Towards the end, she was feeling really strong and I was starting to suffer, so she was kinda pulling me along up the incline (Steel Point) and encouraging me. We had gotten so far together, we said let’ s just cross the line and share the victory. It was brilliant. Really, really enjoyed it.”
Gayle, who has a faster personal best than Katrina, said that she was just glad to make it to the Smugglers Cove finish line. “My left leg had been flaring up a bit and I had been getting pain in my calf and hamstrings and it was coming and going a little,” she noted. “But once I got to 10k, it took me 10k to warm up but after that, I didn’t feel too bad.”
The twins were joined by their father Gordon who ran four minutes faster than his 2022 debut after all three ran in Chicago.
Race director Kay Reddy said they had over 130 finishers—the most since the COVID pandemic. “Thanks to all the participants,” Reddy said. “Participants ranged from an eight foot blow up cat, raising money for Protect Animal Welfare (PAW). We had two girls dressed as Bumble Bees and got lots of laughs along the course. There was good competition at the front and a lot of fun at the back.
