The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DISTANCE runners will have another opportunity to display their skills when the Bahamas Roadmasters Running Club, in conjunction with Wildside Online Inc., hosts the inaugural “Bahamas Half” marathon, two months before the start of the prestigious Marathon Bahamas 2014 in January.

The event, scheduled for 6am November 24, will comprise of a half marathon, half marathon three-person relay and 10K races.

The Bahamas Half will take on a scenic route beginning near the beachfront at Arawak Cay continuing west along West Bay Street for 6.55 miles returning east on West Bay Street along the same route for 6.55 miles finishing at Arawak Cay. The 10k race will follow the same course and turn around on Baha Mar Boulevard.

“The races are walker friendly and are a great warm-up for those participating in other fall races and Marathon Bahamas in January 2014,” the organisers noted in a press release. “The course will be closed to traffic and supported by the RBPF to provide safety for the participants and volunteers. It should be noted that the course will officially close four hours after the start.”

Interested persons can now register for the race at the event website www.bahamashalf.com/

The Bahamas Roadmasters Running Club (“BRRC”), established in 1990, is a non-profit group which promotes the sport of distance running and prepares runners to participate in half (13.1 miles) and full marathons (26.2 miles).

Members have participated in the marathon “majors”, including London, New York, Berlin, Chicago and most recently the Boston Marathon and other marathons based in the United States and Canada.

Experienced members regularly share training tips and provide mentoring at no cost to those who also share in the love of distance running.

In addition to its running pursuits, the club has had the opportunity through its fundraising efforts over the years to make meaningful contributions to the community by its charitable donations to causes such as the AIDS Camp, AIDS Foundation, Ranfurly Home for Children and Pilot Club of Nassau pool project for the disabled.

For quite a number of years the club has successfully staged a 20-mile charity run which has always had great support from the running public.

Further to this it has been a desire of the club for quite some time to organise a timed run which would attract both local and international participants. The opportunity having now presented itself, the club has moved forward to make this dream a reality.

Wildside Online Inc. is a turn-key racing portal which offers full race management and support with features such as Chronotrack RFID chip timing, marketing, photography, registration, apparel, awards, event logistics and coaching. Wildside has two main branches in Florida and the Bahamas and can provide services around the world, including throughout the US and Caribbean.

Wildside Online Inc. also produces and manages the 242 Colour Run and the Great Abaco Family Fitness Weekend, and works seamlessly with other Bahamian and Caribbean events to provide a great overall athlete and organiser experience. They may be reached at: http://www.wildsideonline.com/

Wildside Online Inc. has supported various local charities, including the Rotary Clubs of East Nassau and Abaco, Friends of the Environment, and BAARK. Wildside Online Inc. is expanding and producing various events, designed to integrate with and support the Bahamian community.

“Early registration discounts are currently offered and persons have already started registering for the various events,” the release said. “The number of entries is limited so register early to guarantee entry.”

Local registration will be available at The Sports Centre at all three locations, Harbour Bay, Mall at Marathon and Sandyport.

For more details, interested persons can contact the organisers by email: info@bahamashalf.com or visit the website at www.bahamashalf.com or facebook at www.facebook.com/BHMarathon.