The IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2015, which was launched here in The Bahamas this week is already producing results.
It was a victory for the team put together to represent that event at Marathon Bahamas this past Sunday. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) beckoned to the local organizing committee of the world relays (LOC) to put together a team of relay runners to take part in the sixth running of Marathon Bahamas to promote the world relays, and the LOC constructed a team consisting of some of the best distance runners in the country.
The team of Sidney Collie, Mackey Williams, Ronald Kemp and David Ferguson, in that order, demolished the rest of the field, winning the relay segment of the marathon in 2:42:43. They covered the 26.2-mile marathon more than a half hour ahead of the second place team from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF). The RBDF finished in 3:17:10, and a team named The Incredibles was third in 3:28:48.
The IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2015 team was sponsored by the LOC, and adorned in lime green track uniforms with the event's logo emblazoned on them. The world relays itself is set for May 2-3, at the 15,000-seat Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, about three weeks in the year earlier than the inaugural event last year.
"The whole concept of the team was to promote the 2015 world relays," said LOC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Vice Chairman Mike Sands yesterday. "We thought that it was a good opportunity with Marathon Bahamas having a relay segment, to promote distance running in the country, and at the same time, gain some exposure for the 2015 world relays. We just came up with the idea to use some of the top distance runners in the country, led by David Ferguson. He was the captain of the team, and as you can see, he brought the team home to a first place finish and a great result."
The run for the team on Sunday is just the first of many promotional aspects to come, as far as the 2015 world relays is concerned. The quartet is also set to take part in the inaugural Grand Bahama Half Marathon, set for Saturday March 28, in Grand Bahama.
"We thought that it was a great idea to use the country's best runners to promote the world relays, so it was a no-brainer for us to come out and offer our support," said anchor leg Ferguson. "We're doing this event, and also the half marathon in Grand Bahama so we're looking forward to that. It was good to come out on top here (Marathon Bahamas) and hopefully, we could produce great results in Grand Bahama as well."
Williams, who ran the second leg for the team, said that it was a joy running with some of the best distance runners in the country.
"I never really had an opportunity to run with them, so I'm glad that the LOC of the world relays brought us together to do this event," he said. "It felt great out there. These are some of the better distance runners in the country, so to be able to share the stage with them is an awesome feeling. It's like an all-star team of sorts. We went out there and did what we had to do, and came out on top, and I was excited about that."
Lead-off leg Collie, who has already qualified for the Chicago, Boston and New York marathons this year said that it was good to experience a change of pace from the full marathon to the relay segment in Marathon Bahamas. He finished second in the full marathon at Marathon Bahamas in a Bahamian best 2:45:14 two years ago, and was third overall last year, in 3:03:32.
He said that he enjoyed running with his countrymen in the relay, and is looking forward to doing the same thing at the Grand Bahama Half Marathon in two months time.
"This event was so different for us, but we all enjoyed it," he said. "We're representing a huge event with this run, so we knew that we had to go out there and have a good showing because this is going to be showcased worldwide. It was a great run, and I'm humbled just to be a part of it."
It's the first time that a Bahamian team of such high quality distance runners has been assembled. The relay exchanges on Sunday took place at the 10 kilometer (k) mark, the half marathon mark, and the 30k mark. The leg distances were 6.2 miles, 6.9 miles, 5.6 miles and 7.5 miles respectively.
Ferguson, who covered the greatest distance, said that it was a good feeling to bring it home in first place, and he's thankful to the LOC of the 2015 world relays for the opportunity.
"It's a promotion for a global event, and it's an opportunity for Bahamians as well, so how could we refuse," said Ferguson. "We're the top distance runners here in The Bahamas, so to be able to come together and be the first team to cross the finish line, it's a good feeling. This is a group and a team event so it's much different than doing it individually. We're just glad that we were able to get together and produce great results."
If their run of Sunday is indicative of the results to come from the second IAAF World Relay Championships in The Bahamas later this year, then the world is in for another grand showing. The 100-day countdown for that event starts this week.
As for the other relays in Marathon Bahamas on Sunday, for the most part, they were all hotly contested.
Refit took the women's relay in 4:18:09, GBPA Elite #2 was second in 4:22:46, and the GB Power Girls were third in 4:47:50. In the co-ed relay, the T-Bird Flyers won in 3:29:40, the Cresy Couples were second in 3:47:22, and Sailin' Whalen was third in 3:48:25.
Finally, in the student relay, Queen's College 2 won in 3:12:26, C.V. Bethel finished second in 3:16:11, and C.I. Gibson 2 was third in 3:20:52.
Queen's College's Head Coach Garry Markham said that he's very proud of his boys for going out there and giving it their all.
"I think the guys did a great job with the marathon," said Markham. "They performed well and came out on top, so that's a wonderful thing. Hopefully, it's an indication of what's going to happen in high school track and field for us this year as well."
Team member Meshach Roberts said that it was extremely taxing on the body, but he is glad that he persevered and that the team came out on top.
"It was hard, especially on my legs, but I reserved some of my strength driving up the bridge and I just used that to finish strong," he said.
His team member Rory McCarroll said that he had some issues with the weather, but he's just glad that he stuck in there for the sake of the team.
"It was a pretty good run. The sun was very hot, but I just gave it my all because I knew that I had to be strong for the rest of the team. It was a great race, and I'm just glad that we came out on top."
Markham said that the team is looking forward to great results in the school meets this season.

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