I saw a pregnant lady running on Sunday. There she was, on a relaxed pace, seemingly with little stress as she passed the Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas Headquarters on East Shirley Street.
There also, were the patriarch and matriarch of Marathon Bahamas, Franklyn and Sharon (Madam President) Wilson shouting out encouraging words, totally delighted with an excellent event. Ultimately, Justin Gillette won the marathon in a time of 2:36:57 and his wife Melissa, became the female winner in 3:04:01.
The winning time of Justin marked the fourth sub-three hour achievement. Bahamian Delroy Boothe will forever be in the books at the first winner of Marathon Bahamas. He clocked 2:59:31 in the inaugural event in 2010. Bryan Huberty won the 2012 race in 2:42:53, and Clint Wells owns the record for his 2:33:09 finish in 2013. Simone Maissenbacher finished as the winner of the 2011 event in 3:02:39.
Without a doubt, Marathon Bahamas is the authentic package. The pregnant lady typified a special dimension of the event. The wonderful sea view scenario; Kids of Courage participants; and the Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure are other elements of diversity that make the Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend a very special international event.
A challenge now goes out to the Government of The Bahamas and all subsequent central administrations, to come to grips with the significance of this event for the country. Marathon Bahamas is actually a happening that has evolved into a sports tourism bonanza. The powers that be must now acknowledge the value of Marathon Bahamas and position it rightfully as a high priority item.
Most importantly is the fact that Marathon Bahamas is a local product. I will continue to point out the precedent set by the government regarding the International Associations of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Relay Championships. The millions of dollars in the double figures earmarked for the IAAF-endorsed world relays amount to the guide this government has put in place to be adhered to for other such future events of sports tourism magnitude.
With Marathon Bahamas, just one aspect is missing. Marathon Bahamas becomes the total package when it enrolls at least one of the best competitors in the world. I don't expect for Marathon Bahamas in the immediate future to rival, for instance, the Berlin Marathon. That event annually has participating, upwards of 40,000 runners. The five best times in history have been accomplished at the Berlin Marathon. In 2003, Kenya's Paul Tergat set the new world record of 2:04:55; the magnificent Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie lowered the record to 2:04:26 in 2007 and 2:03:59 in 2008 respectively; Kenya's Patrick Makau ran 2:03:38 in 2011 and the current record is held by another of Kenya's terrific long-distance runners, Wilson Kipsang. The mark is 2:03:23.
That's the high standard that the Berlin Marathon represents. No doubt, the German Government appreciates what the Berlin Marathon does for the country.
In our case, I submit that a government that provides upwards of $12 million for the IAAF World Relays certainly can make available about $3 million from the Treasury to enable Marathon Bahamas to be graced by a top Kenyan and an Ethiopian rival. One can only imagine the interest and the excitement such a match-up would create.
There is no suggestion here to go for Kipsang or Makau. Understandably, the market value for those two marathon giants is incredibly high, and yes a bit outside a budget the government could come up with, given the state of the economy. Nevertheless, a few million dollars afforded Marathon Bahamas for appearance fees could certainly ensure that Kenyan and Ethiopian participants are enrolled for the next version of Marathon Bahamas.
Such an added touch would transform an already strong international event into something truly fantastic. Let's just be fair and recognize Marathon Bahamas for what it is, an event just as worthy as the IAAF World Relays to receive major funding.
(To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at sturrup1504@gmail.com)

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian