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The St. Croix Board of Realtors recently partnered with the V.I. Triathlon Federation and Rotary Club, Mid-Ise, to take literal strides to promote health and wellness in the community. The organizations hosted a Strike and Strength 5K Walk/Run, which routed around the Tamarind Reef Resort, Spa,and Marina. The idea for the walk-run on Oct. 18, which drew dozens of walkers and runners to the scenic coastal route, grew out of a casual conversation between Walt Frazier III, the incoming president of the Virgin Islands Territorial Association of REALTORS® and Jackie Heyliger of Rotary Mid-Isle. “I was the past president in 2023 for St. Croix Board of Realtors, then last year we formed a wellness committee. We thought, ‘Hey, let’s do some stuff to get people out!’” said Frazier, who also hosts “Walking With Walt Wednesdays” on social media. Heyliger suggested partnering with Rotary’s Wellness Committee to host the event, which featured participants ranging from athletes to casual walkers. Joy Elliott, the immediate past president of relators board and current chair of its Wellness Committee, praised the community spirit and thanked those who showed up. “We really wanted to do this to encourage us coming together as a community,” she said at the start of the event. “We’re all a part of professional organizations and neighborhood groups and community members, and we don’t always know each other, even though we are a very small community by comparison to other places. So, I hope that you got a chance to meet somebody new today. Re-establish old friendships, and we’re going to do this again in the future.” Runners with the fastest times were recognized with medals and among women, the winners were Bridget Klein, first place, Kirsten Goldman, second place, and Hannah Wisdom, third place. The male winners were Ayden Cintron, first place, Nathan Langley, second place, and Russell Robinson, third place. The Youngest Walker medal went to Karsyn Cohen. His age was not provided. Deep End Bar & Grill, at Tamarind Reef, offered participants 20% off brunch. There was also a raffle with prizes ranging from a $25 gift certificate to Seaside Market, $25 gift certificate to Cost-U-Less, and $125 gift certificate to Savant Restaurant (courtesy of Charles and Casey Lamb, C & C Janitorial & Support Services), a drone photo shoot by 70s Solutions Group, a free seven-day Family Wellness Center gym membership, and a two-night stay at Tamarind Reef Resort & Spa. In addition to the three organizations, sponsors also included Tamarind Reef Resort, Family Wellness and Health Center, the National Association of Realtors and Deep End Bar & Grill.
