Me - run a marathon - no way?!
We have a 5k in Man-O-War to support the local swim club - and of course Damianos Sotheby's was a sponsor and so I planned to participate. Its not as easy as it sound - but totally doable - working up from 30 second run intervals to 2 mins and eventually 30 minutes. I started training months in advance for the 5k Jingle Jog when my friend suggested the Half Marathon at Marathon Bahamas in Nassau in January it was still totally impossible for me to contemplate, but myself and 3 coworkers from our Lyford Cay and Shirley street offices signed up for the relay.
The Marathon Bahamas is a great day! The 5k I had done in the Abaco's was a bit of a fun local affair. The Marathon Bahamas had 1,300 participants from all over the world! Picking up our packets it was a lot of fun to just mingle and talk with them. Seeing locals being a part of it all from Grand Bahama and the Abaco's was also encouraging. There were the real hardcore athletes, but also some speed walkers, and some like me who were just getting into it all.
The day of the race started off very early at 6.30 and it was great to see the event well organized (everyone knows the reputation our country has for "island time". Water stations were generously located and people lined the streets cheering for foreigners and locals alike. It truly is an experience and it was a joy to see other people enjoying our local culture (Junkanoo dancers posing at the finish line) and beautiful scenery. There was a barefoot runner and a runner who proposed to his longtime girlfriend at the finish line!
We finished 5th out of the womens relay teams and are pretty pleased about it! As it got closer to the big day - a few of the team (including myself) were having a few reservations, but in the end its all about doing your best and I am so glad I was a part of it.