After a 2nd place finish at the New Orleans 70.3 triathlon at the beginning of April, Catriona Morrison continued her hot run of form by winning the St Croix 70.3 in the Caribbean.

“The women’s field was very strong this year including current and former world 70.3 champions Joanna Zeiger and Mirinda Carfrae,” said Morrison.

Morrison exited the water in the pack chasing Zeigler and Nina Craft. The bike course in St Croix is a challenging affair – winds; high heat and humidity; the rolling East end loop and the infamous “beast” at 21miles.

“After ascending the beast I was in 3rd position trailing Mirinda and Nina. On such a challenging course my plan was to bike within my limits. I bike with a Powertap so I can monitor my wattage throughout the race. This way I can make sure that I maximise my running potential. Coming into T2 I was in second place trailing Mirinda by around 3mins.

“On the run I was feeling pretty strong and I settled into a good pace within the first 3k. At the run turnaround I caught my first glimpse of Mirinda who was only about 400m ahead. I was still feeling good and knowing that I had caught about a minute and a half in the first lap of the run I started lap two feeling positive that I could catch up.

“On the trails around the golf course I could see Mirinda ahead and caught her at around the 10 mile mark. It was a strange feeling to move into first place – part of me was really excited and started to imagine what it was going to feel like when I finally crossed the line!”

Visiting the US and surrounding islands for training purposes, Morrison made the most of her stay by competing in both events. 

For over 20 years the island has embraced local, national and international athletes in a weekend of triathlon activity. Swimmers, bikers and runners take over the island and are welcomed with open arms and wide smiles.

“It was an honour and a privilege to compete in such a great event in a fabulous location,” concluded Morrison.