Run Barbados Marathon Weekend

IT WAS VERY WELL ORGANIZED - I was highly impressed. 1. There was a Free Charter bus service to the start of the race 2. Race starts for half marathon and full marathon at 5am 3. It is mostly flat 4. Frequent water station drinks were in plastic cups 5. Bananas and a gel , Powerade drinks were offered in other water station 6. The race was measured in kilometres and not miles 7. A few Toilets enroute 8. The runners were very friendly 9. The scenery was one of the best in the world 10. You received a large chunky medal, technical tee shirt and Flow bag If you have time please try and visit Harrison Cave.

I have been running in the Barbados series since 2005 having competed in the Marathon 6 times as well as the half Marathon and 10km races. The running weekend is full of fun with lots of race distances to suit all. I now visit the island with my young family who take part in the fun Mile on the Friday night. I picked up my race number and goodie bag a few days before the race at a designated bar on the island which was easy to get to on one of the local buses. The new organizers made a great decision to change the start time to 8pm this year as in the past it has been 10pm which has not been time friendly for my children. It was a fun filled night and a great atmosphere to start the running festival. The children loved running the race and got an amazing medal at the end. There was entertainment on the playing fields for the children and some great food and refreshments that you could purchase especially to refuel or carbo load for the weekend ahead. I raced the Marathon on the Sunday, there was a bus organised to pick up athletes across the island which was easy to catch and got me into Bridgetown where the start of the Marathon and half marathon was. The race is a 5am start, yes early but you are thankful for running in the dark for at least the first hour of the race. The course had changed this year and was a double lap for the marathon runners. The route takes you out along the ocean road towards Holetown and turns around at the 6.5mile mark and you run back into Bridgetown,for the Marathon runners once you come into Bridgetown you turn around and repeat the course which is pretty tough mentally and because the marathon was launched so late this year there wasn't a very big field so this became very lonely at times. The ocean road is a little undulating in places and because of the course there are not many spectators on the course. However the drinks stations were very well supported with lots of enthusiastic marshalls helping you with fluids, energy drinks and gels and because of the nature of the course there were plenty of stations. The Half Marathon race sets off at the same time so I did have some company for the first half. It was a great achievement winning the Female race and I was 3rd overall, there was plenty of spectators at the end of the race giving you a cheer in. If you are a keen runner looking for some winter sun and a fun running festival come and visit this beautiful Island. The people are really friendly and all you want to do is relax. I would say the biggest challenge in racing in Barbados is coping with the heat and humidity so not a PB course but one you will definitely remember! I hope the races continue to grow and get back to what they were in 90's.

If you are looking for a marathon that is well organized, in a beautiful location with friendly people, and has engaged and enthusiastic volunteers who care, this is the marathon for you! This was my third Run Barbados Marathon and I can honestly say that the race has been vastly improved and running it was the best running decision I made in 2015 having come off of injury. My experience from start to finish was totally positive, but what was especially heart warming to me out there on the course, was the attitude and enthusiasm of the volunteers. I have always praised the volunteers on the previous races, but this year something seemed different - they were absolutely fantastic and I cant remember running any race before where I felt the volunteers were so engaged! The spectators were also very encouraging. There were plenty of water stops with powerade and ice so the organizers were well prepared for the heat and humidity. Another great point was the early start for the marathon (5am) to avoid the heat and also make good use of the road with minimum impact to traffic. I also liked the fact that the 10K and the Fun Mile were evening races with lots of crowd support. Overall this was an excellent race weekend of events and I would strongly recommend making this your destination marathon as there is plenty to do and see on the island for all ages. It was evident that the organizers definitely put in a lot of work to make this a success and they are to be commended on doing an excellent job. The medals were the icing on the cake  absolutely beautiful and of great quality! They were some of the best I've seen and I have 25 marathon medals and 1 ultra medal under my belt. Definitely worth the trip a third time!