The results of the 11th Annual Alpheus Williams Aids Day Classic on Saturday, December 1, indicate that, indeed, it was a typical Alpheus Williams race, with the eventual winners taking a page from the book of the legendary three-time Cross Country champion, in whose memory Saturday’s race was dedicated. In his short but brilliant cycling career, Alpheus was noted for ignoring the rush to station prizes, putting his focus on the big one, the final tape for the championship.
The Female race took off from La Democracia on the Western Highway at 8:30 a.m., and after surrendering the Rockville station prize to Shalini Zabaneh (Sagitun), Marinette Flowers (Comfort Air) stepped forward and claimed the remaining four station prizes at Hattieville, Almond Hill, 8 Miles and the Police Check Point, and had enough left in the tank to clinch the sprint for the tape at Leslie’s Imports outside Belize City ahead of Shalini, who took second place, and her Sagitun teammate Jamie Lee Usher who settled for third
For the Juniors, who took off from Belmopan Comprehensive School along with the Elites at 9:00 a.m., the station prize at Mahogany Heights went to Ted Shabazz (F&F Mountaineer); La Democracia was taken by Geon Hanson (Team Indeco); Jiaro Campo (Team Typhoon) grabbed Rockville; and then Allen Castillo (Team Indeco) asserted himself, taking the remaining two station prizes at Hattievile and 8 Miles, before bursting the tape at Leslie’s Imports at 2:04:34 in front of the Juniors pack for the Alpheus Williams trophy. David Henderson (Team Indeco) was 2nd, Brian Lopez (Roaring Creek) 3rd, Geon Hanson (Team Indeco) 4th, Ted Shabazz (F&F Mountaineer) 5th, Rodrigo Leiva (Sugar City Boys) 6th and Kyne Gentle (Orange Walk United) 7th.
The Elite race was even more dramatic, with Gregory Lovell (Santino’s) silent during all the wrestling for station prizes, and then coming to the fore in typical Alpheus Williams fashion to seize the big 1st prize and trophy. Brandon Cattouse (C-Ray) took the Mahogany Heights station prize; La Democracia went to Darnell Barrow (Benny’s Megabytes); Rockville was claimed by Marlon Castillo (Santino’s); Brandon Cattouse (C-Ray) came back to take Hattieville; and Mateo Cruz (Santino’s) clipped the last station prize at 8 Miles. And then it was the race for the big one, the Elite championship of the Alpheus Williams Classic, and Gregory Lovell (Santino’s) stepped out of the crowd and executed perfectly his game plan to win the race at 2:00:00 and claim the 1st prize and trophy. He was followed in 2nd place by Darnell Barrow (Benny’s Megabytes); 3rd was Michael Lewis (Unattached); 4th was Marlon Castillo (Santino’s); 5th Roque Matus (M&M Engineering); 6th Jose Choto (C-Ray); 7th Leslie Sanchez (Northern Poultry); 8th Alfred Galindo (Roaring Creek); 9th Brandon Cattouse (C-Ray); and 10th Mateo Cruz (Santino’s).