Jenna Parker wins her fifth title, tops field of 50 lifeguards in run, paddle, swim
By JACK FICHTER/Sentinel staff
CAPE MAY POINT – She did it again.
Harvey Cedars lifeguard Jenna Parker took first place for the fifth time in the Cape May Point Women’s Lifeguard Challenge.
Parker turned in a time of 24:46 for the July 28 event that featured 50 competitors from 14 beach patrols in the state. The race consisted of a consecutive 1.3-mile soft sand run, 1-mile ocean paddle, 400-meter soft sand race and .5-mile ocean swim.
In the initial soft sand run, Abigail Thompson, of the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol, was in first place at the first flag at the halfway point, followed by Parker in second place with Jenna Carastro, of Stone Harbor Beach Patrol, in third place.
At the Pearl Avenue Beach flag, Parker took first place in the soft sand run, a lead she maintained as she crossed the run finish line and headed into the water for the one-mile paddle.
Parker took first place in the paddle board competition followed by Adrienne Bilello, of Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol, in second place and Julia Rothstein, of Surf City, in third place.
In the final swim, Parker was first out of the water to win the overall challenge, followed by Bilello in second place with a time of 25:07 and Megan Fox, of the Longport Beach Patrol, in third place with a time of 25:48.
Parker said her fifth win of the event could be her “swan song” due to her age: 37. The COVID pandemic canceled last year’s event.
“I was in the best shape of my life last year, so I was really bummed that this got canceled,” Parker said. “I was training to run Boston (Marathon) and I was in like 2:40 marathon shape.”
She said she has been struggling with injuries since December. Three days prior to the Cape May Point event she caught a cold.
“It’s amazing to see the girls getting stronger and faster every year,” Parker said.
The swim portion of the race seemed longer this year, perhaps due to a slack tide, she said. Conditions were calm compared to other years with a 10-knot east wind and current.
Repeatedly competing in the event has helped her to understand the currents off Cape May Point, Parker said. The event used shorter paddleboards this year, 10.5 feet instead of 12 feet, which made that event trickier, she said.
Parker won the New York City Triathlon in 2013. She has an acting career including a starring role in the film “Ice Sharks” in 2016 and an episode of the television series “The Remedy” in 2015.
She is also a corporate officer in a New York-based wellness startup company.
Bilello took second place with a time of 25:07 followed by Fox in third place with a time of 25:48. Rothstein won fourth place with a time of 25:59 followed by Carastro in fifth place with a time of 26:16.
The top three teams in cross country scoring were Surf City, followed by Wildwood Crest and Longport in third place.
Top Teams (cross country scoring):
1st Place: Surf City Beach Patrol: Julia Rothstein & Lauren Rothstein
2nd Place: Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol “A Team”: Adrienne Bilello & Abigail Thompson
3rd Place: Longport Beach Patrol: Megan Fox & Taylor Phy
Individual finishers
1. Jenna Parker Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol “A” 24:46 37
2. Adrienne Bilello Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol “A” 25:07 21
3. Megan Fox Longport Beach Patrol 25:48 17
4. Julia Rothstein Surf City Beach Patrol 25:59 21
5. Jenna Carastro Stone Harbor Beach Patrol “A” 26:16 20
6. Becca Cubbler Avalon Beach Patrol “A” 26:37
7. Sara Werner Cape May Beach Patrol “A” 27:43
8. Katie Collins Wildwood Beach Patrol “A” 27:46
9. Lauren Rothstein Surf City Beach Patrol 27:49
10. Sara Azegzaou Brigantine City Beach Patrol “A” 27:56
11. Taylor Phy Longport Beach Patrol 27:59
12. Abby Thompson Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol “A” 28:02
13. Grace Emig Brigantine City Beach Patrol “A” 28:09
14. Catherine Schroder Stone Harbor Beach Patrol “B” 28:13
15. Lindsay Frenia Cape May Beach Patrol “B” 28:19
16. Lindsay Robbins Upper Township Beach Patrol “A” 28:36
17. Giavanna Lupi Stone Harbor Beach Patrol “A” 28:37
18. Emma Dries Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol “A” 28:39
19. Emma Frederick Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol “B” 28:56
20. Jackie Pauling Ocean City Beach Patrol “A” 29:14
21. Jillian Murphy Sea Isle City Beach Patrol “A” 29:29
22. Casey McLees Upper Township Beach Patrol “A” 29:33
23. Grace Comerford Stone Harbor Beach Patrol “B” 29:39
24. Meg Pruskowski Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol “B” 29:42
25. Emily Nelson North Wildwood Beach Patrol “A” 29:46
26. Kaleigh Olzewski Sea Isle City Beach Patrol “B” 30:04
27. Rebecca Millar Upper Township Beach Patrol “B” 30:07
28. Sarah Powell Avalon Beach Patrol “A” 30:27
29. Julie Blackmon North Wildwood Beach Patrol “A” 30:31
30. Kennedy Campbell Cape May Beach Patrol “B” 30:37
31. Madeline Seybold Sea Isle City Beach Patrol “A” 30:40
32. Iris Sanchez Cape May Point Beach Patrol “A” 30:43
33. Samantha Vanderslice Ocean City Beach Patrol “A” 31:04
34. Sofia Jurusz Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol “B” 31:05
35. Sophia Bostwick North Wildwood Beach Patrol “B” 31:34
36. Kelly Catania Ocean City Beach Patrol “B” 31:36
37. Alyssa Sittineri Avalon Beach Patrol “B” 31:46
38. Lily Teofanova Ocean City Beach Patrol “B” 32:08
39. Michelle SIbilia Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol “B” 32:38
40. Eve Chiarello Upper Township Beach Patrol “B” 33:01
41. Kacie Hymers Cape May Point Beach Patrol “A” 34:17
42. Sara Jackson Cape May Beach Patrol “A” 35:50
43. Jennifer Allison Cape May Point Beach Patrol “B” 37:13
44. Bella Taylor Wildwood Beach Patrol “A” 37:45
45. Morgan Sherman Wildwood Beach Patrol “B” 38:03
46. Lauren Young North Wildwood Beach Patrol “B” 38:51
47. Reilly Deschenes Wildwood Beach Patrol “B” 39:42
Three other competitors were disqualified.
