Maho Bay Welcomes 361 Swimmers to Joe Kessler’s Beach 2 Beach Race
The Source US Virgin Islands | By Judi Shimel | May 24, 2026 | Two swimmers from Fairhope, Alabama, led the field Sunday at Joe Kessler’s Beach 2 Beach Power Swim on St. John, with 16-year-old David Rainer winning the one-mile short course men’s division and 19-year-old Suzanne Rainer topping female competitors in the same race from Maho Bay to Cinnamon Bay.
David Rainer finished the short course race from Maho Bay to Cinnamon Bay in 21 minutes, 45.4 seconds. Suzanne Rainer won the women’s division with a time slightly over 24 minutes.
By the time they crossed the finish line Sunday, the Rainers were already familiar names in the event’s record books. In 2023, David — then 13 — placed third overall in the short course race, while Suzanne, along with Leighton and Virginia Raider, won the long course relay.
Three hundred sixty-one swimmers entered the waters of Maho Bay in staggered starts beginning around 8 a.m. Sunday. Long course, unassisted swimmers led the way on the 3.5-mile route from Maho Bay to Hawksnest Beach. Organizers with Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park said the oldest competitor was 86 and the youngest was five years old.
Race officials posted results throughout the day as swimmers completed the one-mile short course, the 2.25-mile intermediate course from Maho to Trunk Bay and the long course.
John Flowers, 54, placed second in the men’s short course division with a finish time of 22 minutes, 59.7 seconds. Edward Uszenski finished third in 23 minutes, 0.8 seconds.
Mia Sayan, 16, placed second in the women’s short course division with a time of 24 minutes, 07 seconds. Twenty-eight-year-old Kelsey Hahn took third place in 26 minutes, 35.3 seconds.
In the intermediate race, 17-year-old Sasha Poe claimed the overall win with a time of 49 minutes, 40.7 seconds and also led the women’s division overall. Katie Papa, 32, finished second overall in 51 minutes, 19.1 seconds, followed by Quinnton Caines in third at 51 minutes, 35 seconds.
Sixteen-year-old Caines led the men’s intermediate division. Troy Lane, 51, followed with a time of 56 minutes, 7.8 seconds.
Chris Delafuente placed third in the intermediate men’s division with a finish time of 57 minutes, 56.1 seconds.
Twenty-seven competitors under age 18 participated in Sunday’s races. There were also three relay teams entered in the long course event, including one made up of swimmers who have participated in all 23 Beach 2 Beach Power Swim races.
“This year I’m in a relay with the other two people who’ve done every one — Alfredo Del Omo and Karen Cannell. We’re calling ourselves the Venerable Veterans,” former Senator-at-Large Craig Barshinger said. Barshinger traveled from Colorado, where he lives with his family, to compete.
The atmosphere before the race was relaxed, with swimmers greeting friends and fellow competitors along the shoreline.
Nancy Veldren said she returned to the event after stepping away for several years. She participated in the first Beach 2 Beach Power Swim in 2004.
“Twenty-twenty-six was her fourth outing since making her comeback,” Veldren said.
For Leslie Carle of San Rafael, California, Sunday marked her first appearance in the race.
“We’ve been here for almost a week, so we’ve had a lot of practice with all the beaches,” Carle said.
Racers, volunteers and supporters gathered later in the day for an after-party at Cinnamon Bay Campground.
Photo credit: Judi Shimel
