The second duathlon for this year, organized by the Poor and Famous Youth Club of Belize took place  on Sunday November 18th. Byron Lara, 15 years old took the first place in the 17 and under, while Jason Barrientos, age 12, took the first place in the 13 and under criteria.
The race had two legs. The first leg saw competitors swimming from the Belize Yacht Club dock to Ramon’s Village where they made their way to land. From there, they ran/jogged/sprinted their way to the Boca Del Rio Bridge where the race ended at the basketball court.
Competing in the 13 and under competition were: Chris Acosta, 9, Joey Gonzalez, 11, Elvin Vellos, 12, Jason Barrientos, 12, Johan Guerrero, 12, Zenedine Pinelo, 13, Axel Gonzalez, 13, and Anthony Rivero, 13. In the Under 17 criteria were: Kian Ancona, 14, Jason Estrada, 14, Byron Lara, 15, Alex Pineda, 16 and Joseph Alexander, 17.
Winning the swimming leg of the race was Alex Pineda with a time of 11 minutes. Finishing first at Boca del Rio overall was Byron Lara with a time of 20 minutes.
At the end of the race, gift certificates and medals were given to the top competitors. Organizers would like to first and foremost thank all participants for competing. Additionally, they’d like to make mention of the following individuals who contributed to the prizes for the competition: Captain Morgan’s, Fido’s, Roadkill Bar, Legend’s, Geo’s Hideaway, Caribbean Connection Internet Café, Train Station Gym, Bc’s Beach Bar, Latitudes Cafe, Ambergris Divers, Gabby’s Construction, Irie Belize, Elvis Kitchen, Ecologic Divers, Island Dogs, Kama Lounge, Local’s Restaurant, Sea Turtle Gift Shop, Waruguma Restaurant, Manelle’s Ice Cream, Pirates Pizza, Mesa Cafe, Belize Ocean Divers, Blue Tang Inn, American Crocodile Education Sanctuary, Ballets Barber Shop, Liquor Box ,Ultimate Rentals, Boaz Golf Cart, Cholo’s Golf Cart, Carts Belize, Captain’s Shark, Duke’s Marine, Cheer Restaurant, Portofino Resort, Tropic Air and Xanadu Island Resort.
The Poor and Famous Youth Club moved to the island a little over two years ago, with the main objective of getting young people on the island positively involved through recreational activities as an alternative to drugs and alcohol. Founder and organizer Larry Sutherland informed The San Pedro Sun that he is presently working with over eighteen students on the island on a skill-building venture. The group accepts old, worn bicycles and he is training them on how the fix these bikes. It is their hope to take the bikes and open a bike rental company – owned by the kids and operated by the kids. Next for the group will be their Christmas Party and then preparations begin for next year’s sporting activities. For more information about the Poor and Famous Youth Club, Larry Sutherland may be contacted at 601-7351 or online at http://www.poorandfamous.bz.