The Tribune

SUNSHINE Insurance Race Weekend is set to once again captivate the attention of the country with thousands of participants, volunteers and spectators taking to the streets of Nassau for competition in aid of a worthy cause.

The Race Weekend, set for January 16-17, includes the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure on Saturday and the internationally renowned Marathon Bahamas as Sunday’s weekend finale.

At 7am Saturday morning, the Race for the Cure will feature thousands of runners and walkers on the route which begins at Montagu Beach and finishes at the Hurricane Hole on Paradise Island.

Sunshine Insurance (Agents & Brokers) Ltd, with MARSH, its international affiliate, in its role as the lead sponsor and organiser for Marathon Bahamas, has fostered a strategic partnership between Marathon Bahamas and Susan G Komen for the Cure, the global leader of the breast cancer movement and the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists - a partnership that could significantly impact the health of Bahamians, especially in the areas of breast cancer and other women’s health issues.

Dwayne Swaby, vice president of development at Sunshine Insurance, said his company is proud to have the Komen race as part of its Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend.

“It was former US Ambassador to The Bahamas, Ned Siegel, along with his wife Stephanie who assisted us in getting the race series,” said Mr Swaby. “During Ambassador Siegel’s tenure here, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. While being treated, she was alarmed at the number of Bahamian women – particularly young women – who were plagued with breast cancer, so she decided to do something about it.

Following completion of the race, Inigo “Naughty” Zenicazelaya is expected to host the Survivor’s Ceremony at 8:30am near the Hurricane Hole Marina. The ceremony is the highlight event for Komen Bahamas and honours those who have won their fight with breast cancer.

Nehemiah Hield, Sosa Man and Najie Dun will feature while Visage members Dyson Knight and Wendi Lewis, who donated the official ‘Komen Anthem: Race for the Cure’ song, will perform the tune for the survivors.

The Marina Village Junkanoo Troupe, headed by Stan Burnside, will also entertain the crowd.

Sunday at 6am, the seventh edition of Marathon Bahamas will begin at the oceanfront at Junkanoo Beach. After 26.2 miles of a challenging, scenic and relatively flat course (except for two bridges at mile 2) will conclude at the oceanfront at Arawak Cay.

Leaving Junkanoo beach the marathon heads east through downtown Nassau over the western Paradise Island bridge and immediately returning over the eastern Paradise Island bridge. The route continues east to Montagu Beach with a westward turn onto Shirley Street all the way to Cumberland Street north. At Bay Street, the course continues to the west, hugging the northern shores of Cable Beach, Delaporte and West Bay Street with the turnaround ¼-mile west of Compass Point returning to the most eastern entrance to Arawak Cay the finish.

Marathon Bahamas, which started in 2010, has grown each year and last January, 3,198 total participants took part - 2,000 in the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure and 1,198 in Marathon Bahamas. The 2015 registration increased from 2014, when 2,529 registrants participated.

Marathon Bahamas attracts locals and visitors alike and of 2015’’s aforementioned 1198 participants - 675 local ran in the marathon (full marathon, half, relay and student relay) while 523 visiting runners entered the full, half and relay.

This year, the event reached a new milestone in its history as it has sold out its relay event with 400 participants.

The bulk of the teams is coming from Urban Renewal, which is providing 50 teams - the Scotiabank-sponsored Student Run Marathon Bahamas, will have 21 school teams run and the remaining teams are coming from various national and international organisations. Marathon Bahamas, which was listed by Runners World as one of the top 50 marathons outside the UK, recently won a Tourism Impact Award.

Shelly Wilson, vice president of operations at Sunshine Insurance, said while the international recognition is always welcome, a local honour further solidifies the impact the event has on the community.

“Sunshine Insurance has been doing this since 2010 and it began the initiative we started because we obviously care about the public’s health,” Wilson said. “Recognising the challenge that cancer presents in the Bahamas, we started this initiative to raise education and awareness as it relates to cancer. The Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure specifically addresses breast cancer, however Marathon Bahamas raises funds for many other charities beyond breast cancer. Really our focus has been on creating that awareness and changing the lifestyles of Bahamians. It is an annual event, not only to raise money for the beneficiaries but also to bring attention to the dreaded disease that affect so many of our Bahamian women.”

One hundred per cent of the money raised by the Race for the Cure will remain in The Bahamas to fund breast cancer research/awareness and women’s health programmes.

The Race Weekend, set for January 16-17, includes the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure on Saturday and the internationally renowned Marathon Bahamas as Sunday’s weekend finale.

At 7am Saturday morning, the Race for the Cure will feature thousands of runners and walkers on the route which begins at Montagu Beach and finishes at the Hurricane Hole on Paradise Island.

Sunshine Insurance (Agents & Brokers) Ltd, with MARSH, its international affiliate, in its role as the lead sponsor and organiser for Marathon Bahamas, has fostered a strategic partnership between Marathon Bahamas and Susan G Komen for the Cure, the global leader of the breast cancer movement and the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists - a partnership that could significantly impact the health of Bahamians, especially in the areas of breast cancer and other women’s health issues.

Dwayne Swaby, vice president of development at Sunshine Insurance, said his company is proud to have the Komen race as part of its Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend.

“It was former US Ambassador to The Bahamas, Ned Siegel, along with his wife Stephanie who assisted us in getting the race series,” said Mr Swaby. “During Ambassador Siegel’s tenure here, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. While being treated, she was alarmed at the number of Bahamian women – particularly young women – who were plagued with breast cancer, so she decided to do something about it.

Following completion of the race, Inigo “Naughty” Zenicazelaya is expected to host the Survivor’s Ceremony at 8:30am near the Hurricane Hole Marina. The ceremony is the highlight event for Komen Bahamas and honours those who have won their fight with breast cancer.

Nehemiah Hield, Sosa Man and Najie Dun will feature while Visage members Dyson Knight and Wendi Lewis, who donated the official ‘Komen Anthem: Race for the Cure’ song, will perform the tune for the survivors.

The Marina Village Junkanoo Troupe, headed by Stan Burnside, will also entertain the crowd.

Sunday at 6am, the seventh edition of Marathon Bahamas will begin at the oceanfront at Junkanoo Beach. After 26.2 miles of a challenging, scenic and relatively flat course (except for two bridges at mile 2) will conclude at the oceanfront at Arawak Cay.

Leaving Junkanoo beach the marathon heads east through downtown Nassau over the western Paradise Island bridge and immediately returning over the eastern Paradise Island bridge. The route continues east to Montagu Beach with a westward turn onto Shirley Street all the way to Cumberland Street north. At Bay Street, the course continues to the west, hugging the northern shores of Cable Beach, Delaporte and West Bay Street with the turnaround ¼-mile west of Compass Point returning to the most eastern entrance to Arawak Cay the finish.

Marathon Bahamas, which started in 2010, has grown each year and last January, 3,198 total participants took part - 2,000 in the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure and 1,198 in Marathon Bahamas. The 2015 registration increased from 2014, when 2,529 registrants participated.

Marathon Bahamas attracts locals and visitors alike and of 2015’’s aforementioned 1198 participants - 675 local ran in the marathon (full marathon, half, relay and student relay) while 523 visiting runners entered the full, half and relay.

This year, the event reached a new milestone in its history as it has sold out its relay event with 400 participants.

The bulk of the teams is coming from Urban Renewal, which is providing 50 teams - the Scotiabank-sponsored Student Run Marathon Bahamas, will have 21 school teams run and the remaining teams are coming from various national and international organisations. Marathon Bahamas, which was listed by Runners World as one of the top 50 marathons outside the UK, recently won a Tourism Impact Award.

Shelly Wilson, vice president of operations at Sunshine Insurance, said while the international recognition is always welcome, a local honour further solidifies the impact the event has on the community.

“Sunshine Insurance has been doing this since 2010 and it began the initiative we started because we obviously care about the public’s health,” Wilson said. “Recognising the challenge that cancer presents in the Bahamas, we started this initiative to raise education and awareness as it relates to cancer. The Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure specifically addresses breast cancer, however Marathon Bahamas raises funds for many other charities beyond breast cancer. Really our focus has been on creating that awareness and changing the lifestyles of Bahamians. It is an annual event, not only to raise money for the beneficiaries but also to bring attention to the dreaded disease that affect so many of our Bahamian women.”

One hundred per cent of the money raised by the Race for the Cure will remain in The Bahamas to fund breast cancer research/awareness and women’s health programmes.