Chris Tremonte

9. The local flora.  Brad, Kathryn and I saw this plant growing in front of our hotel.  We eventually concluded that it has the base of an agave plant, the stalk of asparagus and the top of a broccoli plant.

8. Posh Parties.  Two days before the race, the elite athletes were all invited to a reception at a very nice villa with a vanishing pond and a view of the water.  If you're looking to buy a luxury property on a very relaxed island, here is your chance.  The Four Seasons also rents rooms and villas to vacationers, of course.  The post-race party was at the also-posh Carino Health Spa, up the hill from downtown, where we had a nice buffet dinner and a band to listen to.

7. Local Business.  The government doesn't allow any fast food outlets on Nevis so if you want your KFC fix then you'll have to take the Sea Taxi to St Kitts.  Mansa's Juice was right across the street from our hotel.  We could pick up Lemonade, Guava, Tamarind, Star-Apple, Papaya or other concoctions for 5 ECU/bottle, or about $2.

6. The Views.  On an island with a circumference of about 20 miles and only one main road, you almost always have a view of the Caribbean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean.  From our hotel room we could see the big sister island of St Kitts a few miles away.

5. The Local Fauna.  I saw this sign by the road on the way from the airport to my hotel.  Sadly I only saw one monkey the whole trip and it was during the race so I didn't take a picture.  Goats, cows and pigs all seemed to roam freely on Nevis.  Within a mile of the airport, my taxi came upon a herd of goats lazily crossing the road.  I don't think that the driver even slowed down while moving into the other lane to pass.  I guess they're used to automobile traffic and don't get freaked out like deer.  We saw cows in front of our hotel and pigs during the bike leg of the race.  A wandering dog visited us in our hotel room one afternoon -- we kept the doors open most of the time to enjoy the breeze.

4. H-Cabs, a.k.a. People's Taxis.  I had heard that the island had bus service but by the third day of my trip I still hadn't seen any municipal buses.  I had seen people at bus stops but they often just jumped into whichever car passed.  Then I learned about the vans that I kept seeing with funny names or sayings painted on the front -- any vehicle whose license plate starts with an "H" is the Nevis equivalent of public transportation, an "H-cab" or "people's taxi."  There aren't any schedules and I believe that the only route is "along the main road," but if you wait a few minutes one is sure to come by and take you where you're going for 3 ECU or $1.50 USD.  I thought that this was a cool example of how the way things work on the island differs from how they work in the US: back home everything is scheduled and regulated and organized whereas in Nevis the system is more casual and organic, and often more effective.

                               WAITING FOR PHOTO

3. Olympic Hopefuls.  One of our fellow racers, Kathryn Bertine, is vying to make the Beijing Olympics representing St Kitts and Nevis.  She is writing a series of articles for ESPN.com about her efforts and it's pretty cool stuff. She recently gained dual citizenship (United States and Nevis) and is working to bring funding and expertise to the fledgling cycling and triathlon program in Nevis.

Brad Zoller and Justin Park. Chicks dig the neck brace!

2. Reasonably priced medical care.  My roommate Justin took a hard kick to the jaw at the very beginning of the swim leg of the race.  He gutted out the rest of the swim (at one point spilling his guts into Gallows Bay) and then collapsed on the beach and had to be taken to the ER.  He got an ambulance ride, at least four x-rays, a painkiller shot in the buttocks and the grand total was… 120 ECU, or about $48. 

I suppose it is possible that race insurance subsidized the cost but it's nice to think that there are countries out there where it won't bankrupt you to get sick or injured.

Winston Crooke

1. The People.  Our race director and LBS Owner, Winston Crooke went to great lengths to ensure that we would all have a great experience on the island and at this race, always with a smile on his face and never showing any signs of the stress of putting on an international-caliber race.

My roommate Justin Park was supposed to arrive in St Kitts at 7:30pm the day that I arrived.  With customs, baggage and the Sea Taxi I figured I wouldn't see him until nine.  So I was pretty surprised to see Winston and Justin walk into the restaurant where a few racers were having dinner at 7pm.  Apparently Justin's flight had a stopover in Nevis on the way to St Kitts and they let him get off the plane early.  (Imagine that happening in the US!)  He asked about his bags and they said "well, which ones are yours?" and went into the cargo hold.  They pulled out a bike but it wasn't Justin's.  As he set to work with the baggage agents at the desk, they told him "Winston is on his way to pick you up."

So first of all, somebody at the airport saw a guy with a bike and knew to call Winston.  And then Winston himself showed up at the airport to take Justin to his hotel.  And most remarkably of all, he was able to get my bicycle through customs without me there and then deliver it to me at the restaurant.  Oh, and did I mention that we hadn't told anyone that we were going to that restaurant?

Winston repeated his magic all week - expediting missing bikes to their owners, arranging for rides for each athlete, … Justin and I were sitting in our hotel room the day before the race, wondering if his bike would make it when we heard Winston's voice somewhere outside the hotel - "Hey Justin, go look on the sidewalk!"  Sure enough, there was his bike box.

Reggie, Greg and Sidney also provided friendly logistical and medical help, and Reggie defended his title in the amateur race.

Beyond the travel logistics, Winston's team put on a very well-organized race with a well-marked course, plenty of water stops on the hot & humid run course and a few hills on the bike.  The sponsors and government officials seemed eager to make the race bigger and better next year and I plan to go back.