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For the eighth consecutive year, the Nikki Beach SwimRun, organized by Saint-Barth Triathlon, lived up to all expectations. In the midst of a competitive yet friendly event, 47 teams of athletes and nature lovers competed against one another between the sea and the trails.
It is 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 19, at Flamands Beach. Ninety-two warriors, men and women, are preparing to push their limits through swimming and running. 14.25 kilometers later, the “SXM TRI 1” team—featuring Grégory Pigeon and Gabriel Pertusot—crossed the finish line first, clocking a time of 1 hour and 44 minutes. In total, 30 men’s teams, 9 women’s teams, and 8 mixed teams had to contend with rough seas dominated by sargassum. At the top of the women’s rankings, the duo “Les Claudettes” triumphed this year. Aude Vermillard and Chloé Cohan completed all the events in 2 hours and 17 minutes. In the mixed category, the duo Romain Gardette and Olivia Laurence Bertaux, known as “Les Last Minutes,” were the fastest, finishing the race in 2 hours and 8 minutes. The event’s co-organizer, Jean-Marc Outil, came in 4th place alongside his son, Lukas Outil. After 1 hour and 48 minutes of effort, sweaty but all smiles, the seasoned athlete is delighted by the growing enthusiasm for the local SwimRun: “I’m really happy to see so many of us competing, but also very grateful to see that the volunteers turned out in such large numbers. Without them, none of this would have been possible.”
SBH Triathlon would like to thank: the local police, the local government, Nikki Beach, Super U, Le Bonito, Easy & Fun Ride, Mixolab, Caribbean Discovery, and Ségéco.
“This is the most beautiful SwimRun I’ve done so far”
Grégory Pigeon and Gabriel Pertusot, who came from Saint Martin for the event, are the big winners of this edition. The “SXM TRI 1” team finished in 1 hour and 44 minutes.
Grégory Pigeon: “ It wasn’t easy from Gustavia to Shell Beach. You can’t really see where you’re going while swimming, so it’s easy to lose motivation. In any case, we knew it would be a real challenge because we were neck-and-neck with Stéphane Lenoir and Fabien Husson, who finished right behind us in second place. They had a little navigation issue in the water, which worked in our favor. It came down to the wire. It was a hard-fought competition that ended in great joy.”
Gabriel Pertusot: “For my part, since I’m a slightly better swimmer than my partner, I took the opportunity to rest a bit in the water and tried to stay behind him during the run. So, we took turns pushing through the pain depending on the section. This is my first SwinRun in Saint Barth, and it’s the most beautiful one I’ve done so far. Compared to the ones in Les Saintes and Saint Martin, here the seabed is truly magnificent, the water is clear, and you can see lots of fish.”
“It was a wonderful moment of camaraderie, even though we didn’t know each other”
Romain Gardette and Olivia Laurence Bertaux, the mixed duo dubbed “Les Last Minutes,” claimed victory in 2:08.
Romain Gardette: “We’re called Les Last Minutes because we hadn’t planned on being together. Two days before the competition, Jean-Marc Outil and Jessica Pearson introduced us, and so we decided to team up on the spot. We just went with the flow. I was thrilled to do this with Olivia; we clicked really well. It was a wonderful moment of camaraderie, even though we didn’t actually know each other.”
Olivia Laurence Bertaux: “We sized each other up at first, then he adjusted to my running pace because I’m not as good a runner as he is, and in swimming we were practically at the same level, so we got in sync. It went very smoothly.”
“I was really happy to share this with my dad; I thought it was beautiful”
For the first time in the history of this competition, Jean-Marc Outil and Lukas Outil joined forces to finish 4th overall in 1:48.
Jean-Marc Outil: “ Honestly, everything went well; I’m very satisfied with this year’s race, and there were only two dropouts. Next year, we might want to add a swimming leg near Lorient to extend the course. Just for fun. But then again, the course is already 14.25 km and it’s tough enough as it is, so we’ll see.”
Lukas Outil: “I was really happy to share this with my dad; I thought it was beautiful. Plus, he’s the one who taught me how to swim in the first place. He passed his passion on to me, and now I’m getting ready to make it my career. I’m currently working on my certification to become a lifeguard by July.”
“Everything’s going great—it’s pure joy”
The local women’s team, “Les Claudettes,” led by Aude Vermillard and Chloé Cohan, is proud to have secured the victory against the eight other women’s pairs in 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Aude Vermillard: “There were no surprises, neither for me nor for my partner. We know Saint-Barth like the back of our hands, and this is already our third or fourth time competing here. That said, what might have been surprising was the state of the sea. But at Flamands, there’s always swell, so we’re inevitably pushed back by the currents. Plus, we know the island is hilly—there’s a significant amount of incline—and we train here regularly. You could say we were ready. And finally, my partner and I know each other very well, so from there on out, everything goes smoothly—it’s pure joy.”
Les Rescapés (Alizée Larrieu/Steven Roussel) completed the course in 2:29:18.
Mélina Bruneau and Xavier Dias finished 2nd among the mixed pairs.
