Day 12

We have a winner! At 08:30 (EST) April 26, 2007, BILLIE crossed into the finish zone as the winner of The Great Turtle Race! Congratulations, Billie, on an amazing swim!!

Although not the largest or strongest lady in the bunch, Billie swam hard for 10 straight days, surprising her competitors with superb navigation and unparalleled endurance.

Billie’s early career was marked by predator attacks, and while it's given her the know-how to outrun a lot of other ocean life, it's also left her with some injuries that she had to overcome for the win. Her exemplary performance was undoubtedly aided by billfish throughout the Pacific who rallied to support their turtle hero in the race.

Stephanie Colburtle now seems to have a lock on second place, barring any unforeseen currents or wrong turns. She is now less than 30 miles away from the finish zone.

The end: The last two days of the race saw most of turtles come in for a finish. Stephanie Colburtle made a strong showing in 2nd place, disappointing her adopted dad Stephen Colbert, and Champiro came in 3rd place. Turtleocity, Purple Lightning, Genevieve, Saphira, Freedom, and Windy, in that order, all finished the race.

Two contenders, Drexelina and Sundae, never left the coast! Rumors were flying that they were applying for residency in Costa Rica, patrolling the beaches for coastal development, or, in Sundae’s case, churning the water in honor of her “slow-churned” sponsor. Despite spectator worries, their trainers assured us that were in good health. Some turtles just take longer to get started and not even the incentive of winning could entice these gals into the ocean."