The Tribune

REGISTRATIONS for the Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas (SIMB) relay next month are up by 65 per cent on last year, when the event was sold out.

In light of how quickly the 2016 relay sold out, organisers are urging residents to form their teams now and register in order to secure their spot at the starting line. SIMB offers three different endurance participant options: the marathon, half marathon and relay.

Marathon Bahamas will be held on January 15, a day after the seventh annual Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure 5km event.

The relay is a four-person team event with pre-set running distances of 6.2, 6.9, 5.6 and 7.5 miles. The exchange points are at Dunkin Donuts (Bay Street), Delaporte (east of the Sun Fun Resort) and Caves Heights. At the relay exchange zone areas, team members will be directed through the chutes by an official of Bahamas Association of Certified Officials where they must pass the timing mat, make an official exchange via a baton and receive their finisher’s medal.

Only the last leg participant will receive his/her medal at Marathon Bahamas’ finish line. The relay course mirrors the marathon course and is open for six hours, which makes it runner/walker friendly.

Teams can be registered as a male, female, mixed (two females and two males) or student group and vie for overall team awards.

Marathon Bahamas is sponsored by Sunshine Insurance, the Ministry of Tourism, Atlantis, Focol, BTC, Arawak Homes, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Cleveland Clinic, Dasani (CBC Bahamas), NAD, Royal Star Assurance, Scotiabank and Subway among many others.

To register for Marathon Bahamas, visit www.marathonbahamas.com.