The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN an effort to engage student athletes in the fight against cancer and promote healthy lifestyles through competition, Scotiabank will once again partner with Sunshine Insurance for its seventh annual Race Weekend.

This will be the sixth year that Scotiabank has partnered with Marathon Bahamas and the fifth year that it has been the title sponsors of the Scotiabank Student Run Marathon Bahamas event.

The annual Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend, which includes Marathon Bahamas and the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure, is a community effort that brings awareness to the cancer fight and raises money for the cause.

Students from several schools across the country participate by entering teams of four that collectively run the 26.2 mile marathon.

The event is a part of Scotiabank’s extensive Bright Futures Programme which facilitates community involvement.

Said Leah Davis, the bank’s senior manager for marketing and public relations: “We are again proud and excited to be the lead partners for the Scotiabank Students Run Marathon Bahamas initiative, which provides an opportunity for distance running student athletes to participate in the relay component of the annual Marathon Bahamas. This initiative aligns well with our social responsibility platform - young people in the community - which supports opportunities to give back to the youth in our community through a number of areas focusing on health and education,” she said.

“We at Scotiabank believe in the future of the Bahamas and consistently seek out opportunities, such as this, to support and highlight the positive strides that our young people are making.”

As the organiser of the relay run for Marathon Bahamas, Trevor Strachan challenged even more students and schools to enter the event as the relay portion of the event continues to grow.

Following the 2015 event, the top three finishers, along with the winner in the inaugural co-ed division, were presented with trophies at the Scotiabank courtyard, Rawson Square.

The Queen’s College Comets’ team of Kyle Thompson, Mookie Rolle, Meshach Roberts and Rory McCarroll finished first in 3:12:26 seconds.

The 2014 champion CV Bethel Stingrays, with the team of Kevin Major, Ryan McIntosh, T’Shad Cornish and Samuel Moncur, finished second in 3:16:11 while the CI Gibson Rattlers were third in 3:20:52.

The Comets’ co-ed team of Kimona Wilson, Charnelle Williams, Tadiwa Mushonga and Matthew Richardson took top honours in that division (sixth overall) in a time of 3:31:33.

The RM Bailey Pacers were fourth in 3:21:33, St Augustine’s College fifth in 3:22:23, Doris Johnson seventh in 3:40:14, St John’s College eighth in 3:45:04 and the St Andrew’s Hurricanes rounded out the top 10 in 3:57:30.

Approximately 22 teams competed in the 2015 edition of Marathon Bahamas, an improvement on the 16 teams in the 2014 edition.

“This year’s Student Run Marathon Bahamas will see some 21 teams of student runners run the 26.2 mile course, competing for special prizes and trophies, in addition to the race finisher’s medals,” Davis said, “However, the Students Run Marathon Bahamas is more than a 26.2 mile race, it is an opportunity for participants to apply the same principles necessary for completing and winning a marathon to “winning” the race of life – commitment, focus, resilience, preparation and vision. We believe that for these students, this running experience can be positively life changing.”