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The Saint-Barth Triathlon Association brought together 64 swimmers of all levels for an open water swimming relay race at Saint-Jean beach on October 27. In teams of four, the swimmers covered 400 meters eight times, with an "Australian" exit. From dawn, a hundred people were there, in a family and festive atmosphere. The winning team completed the 3,200 meters of swimming in 1 hour 03 minutes 50 seconds.
The so-called "Australian" exit The “Australian Triathlon,” the key concept of this race imported from the other side of the world, has spiced up the classic swimming course. Swimmers exit the water halfway through the race, run around a buoy on the beach and then dive back in to complete the 400-meter swim. Jessica Pearson and Jean-Marc Outil of Saint-Barth Triathlon, organizers of the event, imported this concept after a recent trip to Australia. “We really wanted a fun race that could accommodate all levels. There was one person who hadn’t swum for 20 years!” », confides Jessica.
Teams formed by drawing lots to balance the levels
To make the event festive and inclusive, the organizers had the brilliant idea of forming the teams by fairly distributing the sixteen most experienced swimmers in each of the teams. The groups were then completed by drawing lots. More than a detail, this contributed to the success of the event. «The drawing made it possible to make the atmosphere more friendly and less competitive, » according to Alex who participated in the race.
Among the swimmers, there are members of the Saint-Barth Triathlon association, high-level athletes and inexperienced swimmers. For Manon, for example, this race was her first competition. She found the level of difficulty high, like several other swimmers. "I had to withdraw from the race, but thanks to the solidarity of my team, I was able to be replaced," explains Manon.
There are 24 women among the 64 registered. The chance of the draw also brought together an all-female team. Charlotte, 13, one of the youngest in the race, was part of this team.
The podium
Team 15, made up of Nina Reynal (captain), Pierre Jean, François Carbonel and Alban Chovet, is the big winner of the race with a time of 1 h 03 min 50 s. Followed very closely by team 7 which completed the course in 1 h 04 min 52 s, bringing together Jean-Yann Bouchaut (captain), Sébastien Plasse, Valentin Fernandez and Joy Berlemont. Finally, team number 2 won third place with a time of 1 h 08 min 40 s, composed of Léo Vannier (captain), Laëtitia Le Gac, Tom Pernelle and Lucas Bosc.
Meeting with the winning team
After receiving their prize, the winning team testifies in a friendly and relaxed tone: “We came like tourists, we didn't expect to win at all! ”. A native of the island and a surfer, Nina confides that she feels good after having done the race, which was not the case a few hours earlier: "When I arrived at 6 a.m., I said to myself, why am I here?", she testifies with a laugh. By chance, she teamed up with Alban, with whom she had discovered water activities a long time ago as a... baby swimmer!
Pierre, their teammate, back on the island for a month, tells his story with eyes shining with joy: "It was not planned that I participate. Yesterday, I went swimming and people told me about this event. I arrive this morning, I don't know anyone, I join a team and we win! It's incredible, "he says.
A well-supported association
At the end of the event, Jean-Marc is relieved that there was no accident: "It's our biggest fear as organizers of sporting events." He was surrounded by a team of four firefighters, on land and on the water. The association is also supported by volunteers: "Luckily they are there," he shares. This is the case for Nat, who never misses any of Jean-Marc's sporting events. " "We're like a big family," Nat shares.
Next event
On November 17, 2024, an aquathlon will be held at Shell Beach, for a course of four times 400 meters in swimming and a 2-kilometer run. Registration is open on the SBH Triathlon Facebook group.
