PHILIPSBURG:--- With just over three months to go, the 27th Annual Around the Island Relay Race, the island's premier running event, is set to take place on St. Maarten/St. Martin's Day (November 11th) and is traditionally hosted by the St. Maarten Road Runners as a charity event.
The organisational wheels are currently busy planning and preparing for this year's race and several great new ideas have been brought to the table that not only ensure that the tradition continues, but ones that will continue to develop and enhance the race. Aspects that have been discussed include some IT options and offering new corporate sponsorship possibilities in addition to the usual team sponsorships. Each year the proceeds from the event are donated to a community cause, and this year the committee plans to donate this to help develop youth sports on both sides of the island.
Over the years the Around the Island Relay Race, a one of a kind event that brings both sides of the island together, has become an well established St. Maarten/St. Martin's Day tradition. The relay race celebrates the folkloric story of the Dutch man drinking beer and the French man imbibing wine who it is said, "raced around the perimeter of the island" to establish the end points of the border and is fiercely cherished by the community.
The popular charity race attracts seasoned runners and beginners alike and is unquestionably one of the island's largest sporting events of the year. Between 50 and 60 teams of ten runners, and their support crew and drivers, enjoy competing for not only first, second and third places but find themselves, up and down the field, challenging their friends and colleagues in happy, healthy rivalry that typifies all the great qualities the Friendly Island has to offer. Qualities that includes the "partee" atmosphere along the route and, not forgetting the "ice cold" refreshments and the informal "after party" at the finish.
The majority of the runners on the teams live on St. Maarten/St. Martin and train together, although there are several timeshare visitors who have discovered the race, and plan their vacation weeks to coincide with St. Maarten/St. Martin's Day so that they too can partake.
With legs varying in length from approximately 2.5km to 4km, distances that are achievable by all, the long term health benefits to the community are enormous. So dust off your baton and start training with your friends!
