The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Despite the interruption of the rain, a pair of Americans - Jonathan Volpi and Amos Desjardins - emerged as the overall male champions of the 7th annual Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas full marathon and half marathon at Arawak Cay yesterday. The women champions were Frenchwoman Marina Peron and Bahamian Vanessa Forbes.

Volpi, 32, came back to clinch his third consecutive victory as he crossed the finish line in the 13.1 mile half marathon in one hour and 15.03 seconds to hold off Bahamian Keithrell Hanna, 42, who was second in 1:19:55.

“During the third and fourth mile we had some rain, but when it stopped, it was pretty humid,” said Volpi, a resident of Boca Raton, Florida. “The course was pretty good, although it was wet.

While he won the third time here, Volpi improved his victory overall to 46 since he graduated from Wagner University in Chapter, Pennsylvania in 2008.

“It’s a good race and it’s not too far away,” said Volpi, in his reason for returning for the event. “It’s a completely different atmosphere with an unique crowd of spectators. Plus, we had a lot of international competitors here this year. So it’s a lot of fun.”

Hanna, a resident of Grand Bahama, said he tried to catch Volpi but the American got away and there was no slowing him down.

“This was great. I wanted to beat my time from last year and I did that, so I want to thank God for it,” Hanna said. “The competition was tight. The gentleman from the United States, I tried to beat him, but he was just running and running. He was at a pace a little faster than mine. But I couldn’t catch him. I just thank God for getting second place. I like the competition. I hope that I can use this to get better and better because one day I hope to run the marathon in the Olympics for the Bahamas.”

The event has not yet reached the stage where it can serve as a qualifier for the Olympics, but it is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

Peron, the women’s winner, came to the Bahamas for the first time on Friday with her William, who was third in the men’s race. The couple are spending their vacation at Atlantis, but she said this will be an event to get them ready for a half marathon next week in Miami, Florida.

“The race was quite difficult because of the wind and the rain,” said the 32-year-old Peron. “Except for the bridge at the start, the course was basically a flat one, so it was good to get through it in the rain. I am very happy to be here. The race was well organised and the people on the street really supported you. It was very early in the morning, so I was pleased to see all of them.”

While a number of persons supported those that participated in the half marathon, many stayed around as well for the finish of the marathon.

Desjardins, a 34-year-old from Virginia, made it look so easy as he took the tape in 2:56:32 for his first marathon victory. He was followed by Adrien Sarasso of Paris, France. The 27-year-old got second in 3:00:54.

“I just love running,” said Desjardins, who flew in with his wife Abi to compete in the event and spend some vacation time relaxing. “The weather has been great and the people are just wonderful. It’s been a great time. It was very, very humid today. I think after the rain stopped, it just got hotter and it just sucked the life out of you. I am just glad that I came here and won it. I hope to be back again next year.”

The first masters male finisher in the marathon was Attila Kovacs, 48, who was fifth overall in 3:25.23. The first female masters finisher was Anneli Dergirds, 52, who was 23rd in 3:54:58.

There was a cross section of Bahamians who participated in both the marathon and half marathon. One of them was entertainer Desmardo Finley, better known as Stiletto of Matthew Town, Inagua. Wearing a t-shirt that listed him as the “Rake and Scrape and Party Animal,” Finley said he was out to prove to the Bahamian people that if he can do it, they can do it too.

A number of Bahamians also participated in the relay race with the CI Gibson Rattlers crossing the line in 3:24:21. St Andrew’s Hurricanes got second in 3:26.17 and the Urban Renewal East/RM Bailey Pacers got third in 3:37.11.

In the all-male category, the Grand Bahama Port Authority Warriors took the title to Grand Bahama with their victory in 3:52.38, followed by the Pharmchem Supersonics in 3:53:48. The FCP Fun Club was third in 4:15:43. In the ladies’ division, the GBPA Pacers won the title in 4:29:39 with the GBPC Power Girls coming in second in 5:01:50 and the Gigas were third in 5:35.03.

And in the co-ed division, Bahamas Medical were the winners in 3:25:20. Run Dat was second in 4:14:15 and Powered by Sands was third in 4:19:38.

Since the inception of the event, Sunshine Insurance president Franklyn Wilson said they asked the same question: “Can it get any better” and they find themselves having to come back the next year to improve on what they did. “The answer is we don’t know how, but somehow we do it. I can’t tell you how, but all I know is that it keeps getting better and better,” Wilson said. “The energy level has been tremendous and every year, we just see more and more people coming on board and getting involved. The marathon has now become the platform for something like BAMSI, Carnival Bahamas and the Pure Silk Golf Tournament for Ladies. We are just seeing so many people coming on board and expanding this event every year.”

The event came on the heels of the Susan Koman 5K run/walk race from Montagu Bay to Paradise Island on Saturday.

In the walk race, Richard Serrano won the men’s segment of the walk in 27.41, while Lydia Johnson was the first female finisher in 26.51. Jerome Simon was the first male finisher in the run in 19.41 and Tunisia Milner took the ladies’ category in 23.19.