The Beauty and the Beast Triathlon ran November 4, 2025, out of Cramer's Park on St. Croix's east end — a 1-mile swim, a 24.5-mile bike, and a 10K run. Stephen Swanton, described locally as the territory's top triathlete, won it outright in 2:28:26. His wife, Robin Seila, won the women's division and finished second overall in 2:55:56. Between them, one household took home both titles.
The Race Within the Race
Antonio Galiber led the field out of the water, posting the fastest swim split of the day at 27:26 — over two minutes ahead of Swanton. It didn't hold. Swanton used his cycling strength to run down the gap on the bike, posting the fastest split of the race at 1:09:23, and never looked back. Galiber finished seventh overall in 4:07:26 — still a strong finish, but a reminder of how much ground a triathlon covers between the first split and the last.
Behind the Swantons, Esther Ellis (3:01:05) and Kat Brownsdon (3:12:42) rounded out the top four, with Billy Bohlke and Mike Nantz close behind. In the relay division, the three-person team of Bob Halk, Sue Brown, and Mollie Nadler won in 2:38:04. Allison Janusziewicz topped the sprint distance field in 1:47:04.
Why the Fastest Swim Doesn't Win the Race
Galiber's morning is the whole sport in miniature. A two-minute lead out of the water sounds decisive. Over 24.5 miles of biking and a 10K run afterward, it's nothing — a lead that evaporates the moment one athlete's legs are fresher than another's over the next two-plus hours. Triathlon doesn't crown whoever's fastest in any single discipline. It crowns whoever manages the transition between three completely different physical demands the best, and still has something left for the last one.
That's the whole reason St. Croix belongs on this list. An island that turns endurance racing into a Sunday morning tradition, in Caribbean heat that punishes anyone who hasn't trained their recovery as seriously as their fitness.