Royal Caribbean, ESPN and Marathon Bahamas Launch Marathon Cruise

Royal Caribbean, ESPN and Marathon Bahamas Launch Marathon Cruise
by Gerrino Saunders (The Bahama Journal)

As part of its maiden voyage to The Bahamas on December 13, the ‘Allure of The Sea’ , Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, in partnership with ESPN will be hosting a 5K run through the streets of Paradise Island and historic down town Nassau. It is part of a pilot program to introduce -Marathon Cruises- as a new product and The Bahamas is part of the pilot program.

On Thursday, officials of Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas Race Weekend and The Royal Bahamas Police Force discussed details of the event and its impact on the local tourism product. The Ministry of Tourism, The Ministry of Sports, and Kerzner International are also supporting the event.

CEO at Sunshine Insurance and founder of Marathon Bahama Franklyn Wilson suggested that the opportunity is a “major step forward in the development of sports tourism in The Bahamas.”

“The owners and managers of the ship are using this voyage to introduce a brand new concept by attempting to attract more people by using the idea of getting runners to take cruises so that they can run in different places around the world, similar to the idea of golfers who love to play on different golf courses,” Wilson explained.

Wilson noted the fact that Marathon Bahamas exists with a proven infrastructure to organize and host such an event was one of the major reasons why the owner of the cruise ship wanted to start the new concept in The Bahamas.

The race, that is expected to attract scores of runners, will take place on Monday December 13th beginning at 9am at the foot of the northbound Paradise Island Bridge, through Marina Village at the Atlantis Resort, over the southbound Paradise Island Bridge to Mackey Street, west on Shirley Street, North on Cumberland Street near Government House, east on Bay Street to the finish line at Rawson Square. The Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace is expected to be the official race starter.

In the initial stages the races will feature those who are passengers on the cruise ship but in time as the concept evolves some members from the local community may be able to enter the race and interact with the visitors.

He admitted that the organizers of Marathon Bahamas were already excited about the idea, but the fact that the world famous TV and radio sports network ESPN has partnered with the cruise company added to their excitement.

The road traffic division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force has given its full support for the event and will have certain streets blocked off for the short race that will last for an hour or less.