Marathon Bahamas Relay: Ideas and Highlights

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A few yr in the past, my husband and some of our pals requested me what I needed to do for my fortieth birthday (in January 2020). “Let’s go someplace and do one thing enjoyable!” they mentioned.

“Oh, twist my arm,” I replied as I casually pulled up the Marathon Bahamas web site, which I’d bookmarked months earlier whereas writing an article that profiled the race as a result of a number of issues had caught my eye:

The race takes place close to my birthday.
It presents a full and a half marathon in addition to a marathon relay possibility (there’s additionally a 5k that takes place the day earlier than), so just about anybody who needs to run may discover a distance that suited them.
One of many official race motels is Atlantis Paradise Island, a resort with a great deal of swimming pools, water slides (woot!), lazy rivers, aquariums, and rooms at quite a lot of value factors.

And that’s how a dozen of us from everywhere in the U.S. ended up in Nassau the weekend earlier than I turned 40.

Marathon Bahamas Relay

Just a few members of our group opted to run the half marathon, however from the beginning, I used to be all concerning the relay. I’d solely accomplished one marathon relay earlier than and I’d actually loved it. The space is doable, the course is nicely supported (as a result of it’s gotta supply what full marathon runners want), and if you’re operating as a part of a workforce, it simply brings just a little one thing further to the expertise.

My workforce consisted of myself (leg 4), my husband (leg 3), and our pals Danielle and Andy (legs 1 and a couple of); we referred to as ourselves the SRQ to Junkanoo Crew (SRQ is the Sarasota airport code and the race started at Junkanoo Seaside). Our legs ranged from 5.6 to 7.5 miles, and whereas we didn’t go in with any actual expectations, we managed to all maintain fairly near a 10-minute mile tempo — and we regarded darn cool doing it, in the event you ask me.

Proof: Right here’s Andy ending leg 2 and handing off to Jared. And whereas this wasn’t a nasty place to attend for our runner to return in, it wasn’t even essentially the most scenic a part of the course.

by way of GIPHY

Now, throughout the board, everybody on our workforce had an unimaginable time. Individuals have been pleasant, the course was each beautiful and well-supported, and each final considered one of us would suggest it as a enjoyable group race-cation. One in every of our pals operating the half even received his age group, including to the day’s pleasure.

I didn’t win my age group, however I did get some wonderful koozies from my pals and acquired to put on my medal across the pool, so … I positively felt like a winner.

Nevertheless, it’s price noting that relays all the time require some logistics, and in a race the place the course is essentially out and again (necessitating street closures) and greater than 20 nations are represented (that means many people have been visiting, presumably with out our personal transportation), these logistics get difficult. So, listed below are a number of suggestions we picked up that may make issues, uhh, run a bit smoother must you select to do that relay — or a special one in an space you’re visiting.

Jared and I spent some critical high quality time at this seashore as our first two runners ran their legs.

Be ready to do some ready. To catch the shuttle out to the third and fourth leg hand offs, we wanted to be initially line at 5:30 a.m. (which required catching a special shuttle from our resort at 5 a.m.). We had a porta-potty and a pleasant view, however since Jared didn’t begin his run till just a little after 8 a.m. and I took the baton from him just below an hour later, that meant we needed to cool our heels for fairly a while (and I used to be glad to have packed snacks — though I want I’d thought to carry a vat of espresso). This additionally meant that our first couple of runners spent some critical high quality time on the end line ready for us to return in. Though, as you’ll see in a second, they a minimum of had some nice tunes.
Pack good. Layers, adjustments of garments, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and, as I discussed, snacks and drinks … take into consideration issues you may want when you’re ready and ensure to pack them. Early runners can go away a bag on the gear test to seize after they’re accomplished, whereas later runners can share a bag and hand it off on the swap.
Have a back-up plan — aaand most likely a telephone plan, too. As Jared handed the baton to me for the ultimate leg, a shuttle again to the end line was pulling away. The motive force mentioned he’d be proper again … however that was to not be the case. Jared waited for practically an hour, however when no one was in a position to present any perception as to when (or whether or not) a shuttle can be returning, he and some others wandered down the street to a resort, the place somebody had a automobile and supplied to drive them again. None of this may’ve been terribly problematic, besides that A) Jared didn’t have a telephone on him and B) my telephone wasn’t sending or receiving texts. And so, by the point he discovered us on the end line (practically an hour after I’d completed), we have been … involved. Lesson discovered: In the event you’re counting on another person for transportation in a relay, perhaps have a plan for communication, too (not all the time a given out of the country).

Can’t Miss Highlights

After I spoke to everybody after I crossed the beachfront end line, it was clear that everybody — even those that didn’t should bum a experience from a neighborhood — had really loved the pleasant ambiance. Volunteers have been enthusiastic, different runners have been supportive, and that constructive ambiance was an enormous a part of what made the day so successful. (The truth that we have been in a position to take a brief stroll right down to Junkanoo Seaside, the place we spent the afternoon consuming contemporary fish, shrimp, conch, and beer at non-resort costs additionally helped.)

SRQ takes Junkanoo Seaside! (Crabs and Ting is the place to be.) And sure, I did put on my medal the complete remainder of the day.

If I may share that ambiance with you, I’d, however I can’t. I can, nevertheless, share one thing practically nearly as good …

Marathon Bahamas has an official music; one that you simply completely must expertise — and make sure to take heed to the phrases. (Additionally, we most likely heard it about 60 instances on race day, which … might have been a bit extreme, but it surely made it memorable! “Let’s run, let’s go! Run quick, run sluggish …”)