Sea To Sea Expedition Race
The Sea to Sea Expedition Race Ends in Tragedy
Press Release / 02.03.2021
After almost three days and over 300 miles of racing across the tracks, forests, roads and swamps of Florida the Good’Nuff AR Team were the first to reach line in St. Augustine in the early hours of last Sunday morning. They celebrated their win by spraying champagne on the line, but others in the race would never get to the finish as a tragic accident had befallen one of the teams. Soon after the leaders had finished the course would be closed, with all competitors stopped and safely collected in by the race organisation.
Team Gears and Beers were riding towards the end of the race along the cycleway of the US 1 Highway, close to the i95 intersection, when they were hit by a car, which reportedly swerved across the road. The driver was a 27 year old from St. Augustine.
The 3 person co-ed team was made up of Dr. Troy Manz, his fiancée Trish Wilkinson, and Barbara Gilmore. Despite assistance on the scene from a nearby resident, and the rapid arrival of the emergency services, Manz died of his injuries at the scene. Wilkinson and Gilmore were both injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
The race organisation immediately took the decision to stop the event and remove all competitors from the course to ensure their safety. They issued a statement on the AR Georgia Facebook page saying, “Safety of all participants and crew on the event remain our highest priority, and all racers have been evacuated from the course at this time.”
Shockingly, there has since been a report that another team were hit by a car in a separate incident a few hours earlier, with the team members injured. In that case the driver fled the scene and police are still investigating.
With the families of the team needing to be informed, it took some time until the sad news of Manz’s death could be confirmed. Police are still investigating, the bereaved family has travelled to Florida, and the racers and event organisation are all coming to terms with the tragedy.
Manz was a medic who served 8 years in the Marines with the Critical Care Air Transport Team, and then worked in the 126th Medical Group of the Air National Guard with the rank of Captain. Tributes have been paid to him across social media.
“It was an honor to work with Dr. Manz, who was trusted and admired by his fellow residents,” said Dr. Robert Ficalora, Program Director of the Southwest Indiana Internal Medicine Residency. “He was an amazing force of life. From flying the injured out of Afghanistan, service in the Air National Guard, or caring for his patients, he was about service above self.”
Colonel Troy Compardo of the 126th Medical Group said, “He was a leader, a friend, and a mentor to many. Words simply cannot express the impact his loss will have on us and to all his family. We wish his fiancé Patricia Wilkinson a speedy recovery and offer her all our support and prayers.”
Team Bones Adventure Racing, who were competing at the race expressed how the adventure racing community is feeling. “While we didn’t personally know Capt. Troy Manz, we felt like we did. A shared zest for life. A fire to chase it down with passion. Our hearts are heavy thinking about Troy, his team, and their families.”
A Gofundme page has been set up to support the families and the injured racers, and has so far raised over $28,000.
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