Organizers are expecting a record number of participants. Already, more than 20 runners from St. Thomas, 15 from Puerto Rico and another 10 from the USA, have signed up for Saturday’s event, which starts at 6:00 a.m. at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds. Photo: VINO/File

St. Thomas’ leading distance runners Shane DeGannes and Ruth Ann David are seeking 3-peat victories on Saturday November 22, 2014, in the 9th Deloitte-Ogier BVI Sunrise Half Marathon. Photo: VINO/File

Ruth Ann David (right) has come within 10 seconds of the women’s course record of 1 hour 34 minutes and 09 seconds. Photo: VINO/File

Organizers are expecting a record number of participants. Already, more than 20 runners from St. Thomas, 15 from Puerto Rico and another 10 from the USA, have signed up for Saturday’s event, which starts at 6:00 a.m. at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds.

Final registration which costs $60, will take place on Friday afternoon from 5-7 p.m. at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds. There’s no race day registration.

The 13.1 mile trek will take runners from the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds, up to Port Purcell Roundabout, down to Pockwood Pond and return to finish on the track.

DeGannes who organized the M2M 8 Miles run on St. Thomas last weekend, had the BVI race on his radar all year.

“I’ve been really focusing my training on the BVI Half,” DeGannes pointed out. “I’ve raced a lot of 5ks, 10ks and races in St. Croix that kind of hinders the training because of the different types or training, but the focus had been on the BVI race.”

After competing in last month’s Petit Bourg 10k in Guadeloupe where he had a better performance than a year ago, DeGannes used the race as a measuring stick. “I think I’m in a better position to run a faster time,” he said afterwards.

Among BVI participants, Steven Asson who won the race in 2007 returned to racing and won his first race in 2½ years after winning the last race of the Ceres 10k Series two weeks ago, said he’s planning on running. “I want to place in the first five—that’s my goal,” he said. “I’m not looking for first place. But once I get it I will take it—however I’m looking for the first five.”

David has come within 10 seconds of the women’s course record of 1 hour 34 minutes and 09 seconds. “My goal is to actually go under 1:30 again because I ran 1:29 five years ago,” she said. “It’s always a great race and I love running in the BVI.”

Top BVI runner Katrina Crumpler—fresh off finishing 4th in the Diva Half Marathon in Puerto Rico last week—and finished second behind David last year, is excited about the race. “I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “It will also be good to have Ruth here—she a good runner and it’s good to have people out in front of you to follow. I’d like to go faster than 1:38 which I ran in the Diva race. But you never know until the day of the race so I’ll see what happens.”