Runners To Take To The Streets For Weekend
[Written by Patrick Bean]
A bit later than customary, Bermuda Marathon Race Weekend commands attention starting tonight with the Front Street Miles Series of races along the moon and artificial lit street bordering the postcard imagery of Hamilton Harbour, starting at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Saturday will witness the National Sports Centre as the active hive, with the 10K races – running and walking – starting and finishing on the track, before action returns to Front Street on Sunday morning for the commencement and finishing of the Marathon and Half-Marathon races.
Admitted by the Bermuda National Athletics Association [BNAA] has been a dearth of funding for a legitimate prize-purse or to attract elite competitors to the Island this year, however Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] Director of Sports Business Development Hazel Clark offered optimism for this year’s event and improvements ahead to make the event more attractive to elite athletes.
“We [BTA] certainly value this event, International Race Weekend has a long history of success and we believe in what it does in terms of sports tourism,” said Clark, a three-time Olympian and seven-time U.S. National Champion whose role includes the devising and execution of strategies for the growth of sports tourism in Bermuda.
“The Race Weekend continues to be one of the pillars among the sports calendar, which we are committed to support in a manner that facilitates and fosters its strategical advancement in that it continues to grow and maintain as a staple of sports tourism.”
Ms Clark noted the well-doing of local sponsors who have and continue to endorse sporting events such as the Race Weekend, adding that more is also needed to progress the event to greater status both locally and abroad.
“It’s important that local sponsors step up even more than they have because they are vital to our product and in helping to ensure a positive economic impact,” she said.
“We do have a plan in place to further enhance and impact this particular event, whereby we are able to attract top level elite athletes to Bermuda and to the event.”
The local event was a formerly a prime destination for top class runners to compete, with the legendary likes of Grete Waitz, Joan Benoit and Geoff Smith each making appearances on local soil and tarmac during race weekend’s heightened period during the 1980s, when hundreds of top runners could be seen flocking to the Island.
The full 2019 Bermuda Marathon Race Weekend Schedule follows below [PDF here]:
When organizers say they want more money from sponsors,to expand or enhance an event, there is a need to be very specific about how the money will be used. How will you attract more international runners, what will you do to enhance to the races, what will you offer winners and participants. Too often we see organizations like the BMW, BNAA and Bermuda Day Marathon Committee take more money from sponsors and participants but participants still complain about getting less in basic refreshments and prize money. So what are the specific plans for improvement!