The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The countdown is on for the fifth annual Marathon Bahamas.

The Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend is scheduled for January 18-19 with competitors having the option of competing in the fourth version of the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure on Saturday and on Sunday, the relay, half marathon or the full marathon races.

“Everything is in place,” said Franklyn Wilson, the president of Sunshine Insurance, who started the event in 2010. “If you pass our office on Shirley Street, you will see all of the activities taking place, all the tents in the yard. We are gearing up for people to register at the last minute.

“We have determined that those who do register late, they will not be inconvenienced. We have put in place tremendous efforts to ensure that we are not inconvenienced and the people who are registering late will not be inconvenienced.”

As the event continues, Wilson said they are forced to bring in more expertise and this year they have secured a lot more help from the Ministry of Tourism in Vernita Carey, who has had more than 30 years promoting the Bahamas throughout the US, and Aretha Major.

“Again with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, ESPN plans to attend and cover this marathon,” Wilson said. “That is a very significant accomplishment for us. We also expect to have members of the press coming from Canada and even Germany again to cover this event.”

On Friday, the marathon weekend is scheduled to kick off with the round table discussion at the Cancer Society. On Saturday, there will be a Health & Fitness Expo at the Wyndham Crystal Palace Resort & Casino.

Also on Saturday, the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure is slated to begin at 7am from Montagu Beach and finish at the eastern end of Paradise Island.

On Sunday, the marathon, half marathon, relay and 5K races are all scheduled to start at 6am from the Junkanoo Beach and end up in Arawak Cay.

With participants from more than 17 different countries already signed up to compete, Wilson said they are trying to ensure that they maintain their level of competitors as they have in the past and they have been reaching out to runners who they feel have the ability to break their course records as they continue to build on the base that they have established in the first four years.

The group called Kids for Courage is expected to return and 20 students from Drake University, who will be spending 17 nights in the Bahamas, are all among the list of entries so far. Additionally, there are about 22 schools that have signed up to compete, surpassing the previous numbers of less than 20.

“The event has surpassed all of our expectations,” Wilson said. “As we approach this year’s event, what is clear is that this event has become a part of our culture. We are overjoyed because this is one of those events that binds our country together. We are all one, whether you are a Bahamian citizen, a friend of the Bahamas, a resident or whatever your status. We are all coming together.”

With everything now in full gear for the weekend, Wilson said all of the participants in the full marathon, half marathon and the relay can expect to receive a newly designed medal and a high tech t-shirt as a part of their memorabilia for the marathon.

The Cancer Society of the Bahamas, the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Sister Sister Support Group, the Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative and the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama are the beneficiaries.

A junkanoo rush-out is scheduled for the completion of the marathon, while the Urban Renewal Band will perform at the conclusion of the Susan G Komen race.

“We are excited and ready to go,” Wilson said.

Participants will have all day on Thursday to collect their pick up packages from Sunshine Insurance on Shirley Street.