Saban Takes Home Top Prize in Saba Day Sea to Scenery Race

In a close to Saba Day Weekend, a record number of participants took place in Saba’s annual Saba Day Weekend Run, the Sea to Scenery, on Sunday, December 10th. 19 racers started from the seaside down by Cove Bay and raced through the villages of Hell’s Gate and Windwardside, finally ending up to on the top of Mt Scenery, the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The course is just over 6km long, but due to the mountainous terrain the elevation gain is a staggering 1000 meters.

Saban Peter Johnson took home the top prize with a time of 58 minutes and 32 seconds. He beat out Scott Paauwe, who took second with a time of 59 minutes and 11 seconds. Rounding out the top three was Tom van Haaren with a time of 1:01:12.

“It was tough,” said Johnson. “Scott and I were neck and neck the entire way and I just had enough left in me at the end. My time was 6 minutes faster than last year and I’m really happy with the result.”

“Sea to Scenery showed me that Saba is a small island with great heights, but also showed me that I’m able to reach new personal heights,” said Paauwe. “This could not have been possible in Holland, so I’m blessed to have participated in the run.”

Sue Skibinsky was top female with a time of 1:08:57. Rounding out the female top 3 were Sarah van der Horn – Plante and Kelli Gustafsson with times of 1:10:27 and 1:29:12, respectively.

Koen Hulshof, co-organizer with Peter Johnson of the Saba Day Race and the Saba Triathlon, said, “I was really happy with the turnout. There were as many people who walked as ran, and if more people realize how doable walking the course is, next year we’ll have even more. The governor joined, and Sea to Scenery is slowly becoming a Saba Day classic and a race to be added to any bucket list.”

Trophies were provided by the Saba Day Committee, a dedicated group of volunteers that help coordinate the whole Saba Day weekend.

Both the male and female first place winners, in addition to the trophies, won snorkel packages provided by Sea Saba. “This is the second year that Sea Saba has sponsored the winners and we’re always grateful for their support,” said Hulshof. “We also couldn’t have done this without our dedicated course volunteers, who provided pictures, water, and timing.”

Next up for the organizers and for Saba is the Saba Triathlon, taking place on January 19th, 2019. People who are interested can sign up and request more information can find them on the Saba Triathlon Facebook Page.