The Tribune

TOP student athletes are about to go the distance in the fight against cancer by competing in the 2015 Marathon Bahamas relay on January 18.

The sixth annual Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend, which also includes the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure event, is a community effort that brings awareness to the cancer fight and raises money for the cause.

Students from several schools, including St Anne’s, Queen’s College and CH Reeves Junior High School, will participate, entering a team of four that will collectively run the 26.2 mile marathon.

Vice President of Sunshine Insurance and Marathon Bahamas Director, Shelly Wilson, said her organisation is pleased to involve young people in the race. “Marathon Bahamas has its primary focus of raising awareness for all health related issues, particularly cancer, which is truly an epidemic that affects all Bahamian families,” she said on Monday during a $10,000 cheque presentation by Scotiabank at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

“We are pleased to have students, such as the young men represented here today, really commit themselves to this race. You are making such an impact on the lives of Bahamian families and I say that because so often we think of it as Bahamian women, but anything that you do that affects a Bahamian woman affects a Bahamian family.”

This will be the fifth year that Scotiabank has partnered with Marathon Bahamas and the fourth year that it has been the title sponsors of the Scotiabank Student Run Marathon Bahamas event.

“This is an exciting part of our Bright Future Programme, which gives back to young people in real ways in the community,” said Scotiabank Senior Manager of Marketing and Public Relations, Leah Davis. “This event – and I have to say, it’s one of the most inspiring – because you see people of all ages, shapes and sizes just running and they are committed to the goal of finishing, but also to a great cause.

“So, for us, this event represents three opportunities to give back and that is in terms of the promotion of sports tourism, because Marathon Bahamas is a significant contributor in that way, and in the fight against cancer and in supporting young people through our Bright Future Programme.”

Trevor Strachan, who is in charge of the student relay portion, said he is hoping to welcome 24 student relay teams and at least two Family Island teams.

Dr Daniel Johnson, Youth, Sports and Culture Minister, said Marathon Bahamas “can now be looked at as a staple on our sports tourism calendar”.

“Next year we have an enormous sports tourism calendar. We probably have about ten major events coming to The Bahamas and Marathon Bahamas is always the first one,” he said. “Being a medic and a sports person, this is one of the best ways to get the message out about health and wellness and the diseases that affect us most are the chronic non-communicable diseases. These are lifestyle diseases. Although you might have a gene for it, it is triggered by your lifestyle. So, this is the perfect entry point to get the message out to young boys and girls that health and wellness must be atop your agenda.”

Phillip Joseph, an eighth grader at CH Reeves Junior High School who participated in this year’s marathon, described the experience as “excellent and exhausting”, adding “I’m looking forward to catching these guys”, referring to his competitors. Roy McCarroll, a twelfth grader at Queen’s College, said: “We came out in third place behind CH Reeves and St Anne’s. This year we lost one of our crucial runners but we’ve managed to find some other guys and we’re looking forward to doing a little better this year and representing Queen’s College.”