Barbados’ East Coast was remodeled right into a mecca for runners as the biggest marathon within the Caribbean lastly made a return.
Thousands of athletes and spectators gathered at Barclays Park for the 2022 SportsMax Run Barbados Marathon weekend held December 10-11, 2022.
This 12 months marked the thirty ninth version of the sequence and featured a brand new scenic route alongside the attractive east coast of Barbados. What made this 12 months particular was every race was named after an iconic landmark that the racers would go alongside their respective routes.
The routes included the Infra Rentals Casuarina 3k, the Joe’s River 5K Walk, Nature’s Discount Round Rock 5K Race, the Eco Skywater Sleeping Giant 7K Race and the Sand Dunes 10K and the Farley Hill Full/Half Marathon.
This version additionally gave patrons a mix of health and leisure, with a brand new picnic factor for spectators to take pleasure in on Saturday, December 10.
A Unique Marathon
Feeling exhilarated by the beginning of the occasion, the Barbados Tourism and Marketing Inc’s (BTMI) Director of Caribbean and Latin America, Sports, Corey Garrett acknowledged “Health and Wellness is something the BTMI has on its mandate and something we always talk about. These initiatives allow the BTMI to integrate itself into the domestic market and exposes our destination for international athletes to participate and understand what a unique activity this is. It’s not only the largest marathon in the Caribbean but a scenic, fun and competitive event.”
Canadian Olympic runner Natasha Wodak was one of many worldwide athletes that participated and appreciated the individuality of Run Barbados. This was her fifth time taking part within the marathon and she or he gained one other gold medal as the primary feminine finisher within the Sand Dunes 10k Race.
“I love coming to Barbados and the race weekend.”
“It’s definitely different being on the East Coast but it’s nice to try something new. This one for me is all about fun so I come here and of course, I want to compete, but the most important thing is to have fun. My partner is here with me and he did the 5K so it’s nice to do a holiday and have a race,” she stated.
Local Talents
The weekend additionally noticed the return of veterans who’ve been a part of the sequence for 30 years. This 12 months, the age of the contributors ranged from as younger as 9 to 70 years outdated.
Barbadian athletes represented and confirmed out, strolling away with a couple of titles.
Some included CARIFTA athlete Fynn Armstrong and Luke McIntyre who took dwelling the gold and silver within the Nature’s Discount Round Rock 5k Race respectively. Eleven 12 months outdated Laila McIntyre who was the second feminine finisher within the 5K Race and Joshua Hunte positioned second within the 10k.
A Mixture of Run and Fun
The tagline for Run Barbados is ‘Come for the Run and Stay for the Fun’ and this 12 months widespread Barbadian deejay, Salt exemplified that.
He participated within the 10K race as a primary timer, then went on stage to host the leisure section in Barclays Park.
A household picnic was held within the park with a child zone, chef tents and music. Patrons and athletes loved the sounds of Alison Hinds, Nikita, Faith Callender, Mikey and the Euphony Steel Orchestra.
The Finale
The second day of the marathon weekend was the last word race day. Seasoned runners, younger athletes, health fanatics, retirees and novices had been all race prepared.
Though the route was a bit difficult as a result of floor of the highway, the Barbadian contingent was out of their numbers. They took a clear sweep within the Eco Skywater Sleeping Giant 7K with native and Run Barbados veteran Carlie Robinson taking dwelling gold.
“This is the best side of the island in my opinion.”
“I love the scenery and I think it’s sort of a nice change. Running into the sunrise was beautiful,” Carlie stated.
Carlie is normally recognized for the Half-Marathon however on account of experiencing a couple of troublesome weeks, she opted for the 7K.
Darcy Alexander was the second feminine within the 7K and Shamel Morgnard was the primary male.
The Infra Rentals Casuarina 3K attracted first-timers like Miss Barbados 2018 Meghan Theobalds. Despite the 3K Race having a couple of miscalculations, Meghan was very impressed with Run Barbados and stated she could be again subsequent 12 months.
Marathon Champions
The Half-Marathon was received by Barbadian Joshua Hunte and Martiniquais Cecilia Mobuchon
This was Cecilia’s first time taking part in Run Barbados and described the race as troublesome however good.
Furthermore, worldwide runners Alex Ekesa from Kenya and Felix Herimiarintsoa from France retained their titles because the Marathon champions.
Overall, the brand new scenic route was a success for many contributors with many liking the change. Participants loved the return of the marathon weekend and are trying ahead for the fortieth version.