Today (2/28/17) is the 8 Tuff Mile race, held annually on the last Saturday of February. This year is the 20th anniversary run which began with only 21 participants on its inception but has grown to over 1500 runners. Roughly over 50% from St. Thomas and St. John but the rest from all over the U.S. and other countries.
The race starts in Cruz Bay on the west end of the island then ends in Coral Bay , the east end of St. John. Those who compete know it’s not your average run. The run begins at sea level and climbs to 999 feet. This is the equivalent of climbing to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building😅 There are many curves and some up and down hills before you reach the peak so there is an approximate 1400 feet of elevation gain in the first 5 1/2 miles! AND the temperature is usually in the low 80s with that much humidity added to it🥵
Along the way , there are water stations and the people who volunteer at the water stations usually dress up in some sort of costume for fun and to encourage the runners as they go by.
The participants are as young as 7 years old and the oldest this year is 77 years old. (Did I compete, you ask? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! That’s funny! No, but I was an encourager👏👏👏)
As the runners start making their way downhill, steep downhill, to Coral Bay they get a glimpse of the end.
Finally, the winner comes in. A 23 year old from New York at 48.22 minutes. Are you kidding me?? That’s about how long it takes me to drive there. He’s fast!
Out of the few seven-year-olds who ran , the fastest time was 1 hour and 51 minutes and our 77-year-old female came in at 2 hours and 26 minutes. And that was not the last participant! The last one to cross the finish line was three hours and 28 minutes, a walker, not a runner.
It’s next month now and we are going to Cruz Bay to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day☘️. What I am learning about the islands is if there is a holiday, the locals embrace it! Government workers get 28 paid holidays!! It’s called working to live vs living to work.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any green clothing or costumes to wear but we make our way down to watch the shortest parade in the world, 100 yards🤣. What they don’t have in length and duration is made up with their enthusiasm!
Everyone lines the street to watch and cheer on the few parade floats and participants. It’s hilarious to see just how worked up the locals can become! The island can become very small if you’ve lived here a long time.
Many end up at the one and only Irish pub on St. John, Quiet Mon Pub. We decide to join. Crazy and raucous but so much fun!
There is some cool Kenny Chesney memorabilia on the walls. Kenny Chesney has a home on St John and is a frequent visitor and patron of Quiet Mon. Even though he is a world renowned country music singer/ song writer, on St John he’s treated like one of the locals ( unless a tourist sees him and then he gets bugged for an autograph).
After a couple of drinks, we go vend Michelle’s sandals in the park. Need to take advantage of the crowd😅. At the end of the day, we catch a another great sunset.
**** unfortunately, because of Covid, the 8 Tuff Mile race has been canceled for 2022. But this just gives you runners out there a chance to plan and prepare for 2023🏃♀️🏃😅
Traveling Rose in St. John 