Two New Winners For Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas
David Kilgore and Isabelle Poirier pushed through aggressive winds and light rain to become the overall male and female winners of the 9th annual Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas (SIMB).
The annual endurance event was held on Sunday and ended with a big finish at Arawak Cay in downtown Nassau.
Kilgore, from the United States, ran the 26.2-mile course in 2:32:44, while Poirier of Canada, finished with a time of 3:44:40.
“It was a great experience. I tried to take it a little easy, but it didn’t work out too well in that regard. As far as the race itself is concerned, everything was beautiful, said 26-year-old Kilgore.
“It’s a gorgeous course, even though the wind at the end picked up a bit. I was cruising by myself throughout most of the race, so I just kept my mind on the pace and checked out the scenery for the most part.
Kilgore, a resident of Florida, says he plans to return to Marathon Bahamas in 2019.
O’Neil Williams, a native of The Bahamas, won the half marathon men’s title with a time of 1:14:07.
The 34-year-old beat last year’s half marathon winner, Jonathan Volpi, who placed second with a time of 1:14:12. However, he placed first in his age category.
Florencia Morales, 39, captured first place in the women’s half marathon, finishing with a time of 1:26:13.
“It was very windy today, but I had a great time. It wasn’t my best time due to the circumstances, but I’m pleased nonetheless.”
In the all-male relay section, the T-Bird Flyers Track Club placed first with a time of 3:18:28.
In the all-female relay section, Team Run Dat! Powered by Keys Bahamas Realty, placed first with 4:03:00.
In the co-ed team, I Thought They Said Rum, placed first with a time of 3:22:28, and in the student relays, the C.R. Walker 2 placed first with a time of 3:42:13.
Sunshine Insurance, which created Marathon Bahamas and is the lead organizer and sponsor for the event, said it is positioning its marathon to become the number one endurance experience in the world.
Marathon Bahamas is the second-day event of Sunshine Insurance’s Race Weekend activities.
On Saturday, the insurance company held its 8th annual Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure event, which ended on Paradise Island.
The highlight event is the Survivors Ceremony that honors those brave women and men who fought cancer and won. It also remembers those who lost their battle with cancer. During the ceremony, Komen Bahamas’ Honorary Chairperson, Willie Moss, who is also a breast cancer survivor, asked the crowd for a moment of silence for Gennie Dean.
Dean, Komen Bahamas’ Survivors Ceremony chairperson, lost her battle with cancer in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Her daughter, Duquesa Dean spoke to the crowd about her mother’s love for helping others.
Several performers took the stage, including Stilleet, Fanshawn, Patrice Murrell, Bahamian Trae, Fadda Fred, Spiccy Dee, Richa Sands, Maleah Gabrielle and Joann Callender.
The event was hosted by popular DJs, Hope Shelly-Ann and comedian ‘Naughty’.
