Marathon expecting to match $2m room effect

As of Monday, December 31, 2018

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemdia.net

MARATHON Bahamas organisers say they are confident that the 2019 event will generate “no less” than the $ 2m in hotel room revenue produced by this year’s event.

Paul McWeeney, president of Sunshine Insurance, organiser of an event now in its 10th year, told Tribune Business: “This is going to be our tenth year anniversary and so we’re making it a bit more exciting.

“We have prize money involved, and all plans are in progress and on time. We are really excited about it this year. We expect to have a significant amount of, as we have in the past, international competitors attending. We also look forward to the Susan G Komen event.”

Marathon Bahamas will take place on January 20, 2019, one day after the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure. Both events are part of Sunshine Insurance’s Race Weekend series.

Marathon Bahamas has been listed as one of the top 50 races in the world outside of the UK, and has won a Tourism Impact Award. For the first time, a $10,000 prize will be awarded to winners of the marathon and half-marathon, in what is being dubbed “Ten for 10”. Organisers hope that the new prize purse will entice even more runners to take part.

“Last year we’re proud to say that we generated over $2m in room revenue for the country, and that’s just dealing with the hotels,” said Mr McWeeney. “There were other related businesses such as restaurants, taxis etc. This has now become a major national event. It’s been voted as one of the 50 best marathons in the world by Runner’s World UK, and is getting a lot of attention internationally.”

As to the potential economic impact of the event, Mr McWeeney said: “It’s a bit too early to say at this point in time, but we are confident that it will be no less than 2018.”

He added that registration for Marathon Bahamas has been in line with expectations. “What tends to happen is most of the registration starts coming in towards the end of the year. That’s typically how it works, persons wait for the last month to do things, and it’s a trend we have seen for a number of years. Registration is in line with our expectation at this point in time,” Mr McWeeney said.

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Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 10 months ago

Paul McWeeney is the former managing director of Bank of The Bahamas (BOB) who is well-known by public opinion for having effectively allowed past MPs and their cronies under both Christie and Ingraham led governments to literally rape BOB by way of unsecured or inadequately secured advances and overdrafts that were never repaid, resulting in taxpayers and national insurance fund contributors having to bail out BOB to the tune of nearly $500 million ($500,000,000) and still counting. His brother Sean (PLP big wig and former AG) no doubt begged Sir Snake to find a job for his alleged corrupt younger brother within Sir Snake's financial empire, which includes Sunshine Insurance. Hard to believe the Registrar or Commissioner of Insurance Companies found Paul McWeeney to be a fit and proper person to be President of a public interest insurance company. But we do know birds of a feather do indeed tend to flock together so Sir Snake and Paul are a match made in heaven from that standpoint. LMAO

BahamasForBahamians 5 years, 10 months ago

Keep your p*nis in your pants about Paul and save your personal gripes for a personal forum.

On the other hand this Marathon Bahamas is a great initiative and should be replicated around the country.

Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 10 months ago

Paul made it a public gripe forum when he facilitated BOB's scandalous losses that resulted in millions and millions of dollars of bail out money from taxpayers and the national insurance fund being flushed down the proverbial toilet. And you really shouldn't assume who may or may not have a "p*nis" in their pants. LMFAO