Sea slug costumes of all descriptions will be de rigueur Thanksgiving Day for the inaugural half-mile ‘Sea Slug Slide’ race past several Blacktip Island resorts. (Photo courtesy of Bernard Picton)
Blacktip Island community organizers will stage the small Caribbean island’s inaugural ‘Sea Slug Slide’ race down the main street to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in place of the traditional 5K road race.
“Folks are bored with the annual Turkey Trot 5K,” race organizer Led Waite said. “Even when we switched it to the ‘Booby Trot,’ only three runners showed up. This year we’re going a different, more creative direction that really plays to island life.
“Contestants will dress up as their favorite sea slug and crawl down the main drag on their bellies,” Waite said. “Nudibranch, elysia, headshield, it doesn’t matter, so long as it’s recognizable as a sea slug. In addition to the trophy for best time, we’ll also have prizes for best costume and most-realistic costume.”
Participants were busy preparing outfits and practicing their technique.
“I’m using shredded wetsuits for my lettuce sea slug suit,” Jessie Catahoula said. “And of everything I’ve tried, I think doing ‘the worm’ down the asphalt’ll be the most efficient combination of propulsion and not getting scraped to hell. And to not finishing the race a bloody mess.”
Organizers noted the safety precautions in place.
“We’ll start the race first thing in the morning before the roadway gets too hot,” Doris Blenny said. “How long folks take to finish the course is up to them. We’ll also have Nurse Marissa standing by with first aid supplies to treat any scrapes, cuts and burns.
“The road’ll be blocked off between the store and Sandy Bottoms Beach Resort, for safety,” Blenny said. “The last thing we need is holiday crawlers getting hit by a car. Or even a bike. That’d be a P.R. nightmare for the island.”
The half-mile course will start at the airfield and finish at Sandy Bottoms.
“There’ll be food and live music at the finish line,” SBBR manager Kay Valve said. “We’ll be serving traditional stuffed conch and gravy, sea grape sauce, and sliced sea cucumbers. For music, there’ll be local favorites The Social Morays, Effing Zeagles, and Young Jacques and the Double Hose playing all day and into the night.”
The competition is open to anyone with a sea slug costume. Winners of the men’s and women’s divisions will receive the coveted Silver Sea Slug trophy. Finishers will receive complementary antibiotics, bandages and gauze.
The Blacktip Times 