The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

IN trying to bolster the country’s sports tourism calendar and add more of a historical flare to National Heroes Holiday, BAF Financial and Insurance Limited announced plans for the inaugural Run for Pompey race weekend scheduled for October in Exuma.

Organisers said they expect the race weekend to become the “next big thing in Bahamian tourism,” labelling the event the most “genuine, authentic celebration of culture, heritage and sports on the Bahamian calendar.”

Run For Pompey founder Kevin Taylor confirmed that the overarching plan for the event is to make it an annual one. He said to meet that long-term goal a team of focused people was assembled with directives to establish a world-class event.

“We may not get all of the numbers we are expecting for the first time, but if we do it right, we are looking for this to be the first of many,” said Mr Taylor.

He said in addition to the event’s title sponsor, BAF Financial, Run For Pompey is associated with the Ministry of Tourism, GIV Bahamas, Grand Isle Resort and Spa in Exuma, Bahamian Beverage and Brewing Company, Senor Frogs and BahamasLocal.com.

Chairman and CEO of BAF Global Group Chester Cooper said his firm saw the race as an opportunity to support a “major event so closely linked with our Bahamian history, legacy and culture.”

“Pompey is unquestionably a true national hero and celebrated emancipator. It is therefore only fitting that this new event takes place on National Heroes Day. Despite all the things that divide us, Pompey is a powerful uniting force for freedom and empowerment,” he added.

In 1830, a 32-year-old slave named Pompey led a rebellion against his British plantation owner, Lord John Rolle after Lord Rolle declared that Pompey and 76 other slaves would be moved from Exuma to Cat Island.

Local historians have said that Pompey’s rebellion marked the birth of the “freedom fight” that concluded with the emancipation of local slaves in 1838.

General manager of the Sports Tourism Department in the Ministry of Tourism Virginia Kelly said the event encompasses many of the cultural aspects the Bahamas is known for, while allowing a “perfect opportunity” for the country to distinguish uniqueness of its islands.

“The world already knows about our ‘sun, sand and sea’ brand – they are starting to discover our culture,” she added.

The race weekend will feature a 5k fun run, a 21k (13 mile) half marathon, a 42k (26 mile) marathon and a gruelling 50k (31 mile) ultra-marathon.

The race weekend is scheduled for October 9-12 and will mark the first time a race of that distance will be hosted in The Bahamas.

Officials indicated that a portion of proceeds raised will go towards Exuma’s branch of the Cancer Society and an annual scholarship fund for one deserving student on Exuma.

Entry fees for the event range from $25 to $90 and all participants receive an official Run for Pompey t-shirt and other memorabilia. Participants under 16 will be allowed to run for free.

The event’s patron, two-time Olympic gold medallist Pauline Davis-Thompson said she was pleased to be a part of the inaugural event.

She added: “This is an opportunity to introduce the world to Pompey and one of our most cherished Out Islands.”