The
Bermuda Triangle Challenge
(BTC)
[5]
(also known as the
Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge
, and formerly known as the
Bermuda Marathon Weekend
[6]
[7]
[8]
) is a road race event held on the island of
Bermuda
.
[9]
The marathon has been held since 1975, while the challenge was created in 2008.
[2]
[3]
The three-day running challenge takes place throughout Bermuda and includes a
mile run
on Friday evening, either the
10K run
or walk on Saturday morning, and either the half or full marathon on Sunday.
[10]
[a]
The event takes place in January,
[5]
coinciding with
the holiday weekend
in honor of
Martin Luther King Jr.
observed in the United States.
Race participants include runners from over 25 countries.
[18]
[b]
Elite runners have included Olympic and World Champions and former world record holders such as
Tyler Butterfield
,
[19]
Douglas Wakiihuri
,
Steve Jones
,
Steve Cram
,
Frank Shorter
,
Geoff Smith
,
Ron Hill
,
Kathrine Switzer
and
Grete Waitz
.
[14]
[15]
[20]
The race is supported by a number of top sponsors including -
Chubb Limited
,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
,
Bank of N.T. Butterfield
, BF&M Insurance,
Gosling Brothers
,
Bacardi Limited
,
Hamilton Princess
,
Zurich Insurance
, Butterfield & Vallis, Strata-G Ltd & many others.
History
[
edit
]
The marathon was first held on
15 January 1975
as the Bermuda International Marathon.
[2]
Seven runners participated, although only five finished the race.
[2]
The marathon was not held again in 1976, but it returned in 1977.
[2]
In 1978, the 10K race was added.
[2]
That same year,
Joan Benoit Samuelson
ran her first marathon here, after having won the inaugural 10K the previous day.
[2]
[21]
She treated the marathon as a long workout, and ended up in second place with a time of 2:50:54.
[21]
In 1989, the mile race was added, and in 1993, the half marathon was also added.
[2]
Courses
[
edit
]
The event features scenic courses along the coast and beaches of
Bermuda
and through historic sections of the island showcasing the island’s unique architecture. The point-to-point PricewaterhouseCoopers Bermuda Marathon course, which was redesigned in 2020, is IAAF certified and a
Boston Marathon
qualifier.
[23]
The marathon course begins in
Sandy's Parish
at the
Royal Navy Dockyard
and travels through
Ireland Island
,
Boaz Island
around
The Great Sound
and continues along the
Bermuda Railway
trail and over the smallest drawbridge in the world,
Somerset Bridge
. The trail continues through
Southampton Parish
taking in the views of
Gibb's Hill Lighthouse
and the pink south shore beaches including
Horseshoe Bay
and
Elbow Beach
. The marathon course meets the half marathon course in
Paget Parish
and passes along the
Bermuda Botanical Garden's
and into
Smith's Parish
along
Spittal Pond
and
Devil's Hole
then continues into
Flatt's Village
along the North Shore Road by
Government House
and turns at
Spanish Point
and heads towards the
City of Hamilton
finishing at
Hamilton Harbor
.
Other activities
[
edit
]
The event includes leading speakers such as
Bart Yasso
,
Joan Benoit Samuelson
, and
Frank Shorter
from the sports and health world
[24]
and the BF&M 10k
[25]
and PwC Half and Full Marathons culminate with a Finish Festival & Award Presentation Celebrations with live entertainment, free food and local adult refreshments. On Sunday, following the PwC events, the celebration takes place in Barr’s Bay Park overlooking Hamilton Harbor. Added to the festivities are bands,
Gombey
dancers, DJ’s and local celebrations along all the race courses.
[26]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
With regards to our sponsors, the runs are entitled the
Bank of Butterfield
Front Street Mile, the BF&M 10k Run/Walk, the
PwC
Bermuda Half Marathon, and the PwC Bermuda Marathon.
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
- ^
This includes runners from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Ethiopia, Kenya, Singapore, and China.
[18]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Race Info"
. 6 October 2012.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
"ABOUT"
. 4 June 2020.
- ^
a
b
"Bermuda Marathon"
.
- ^
"The Royal Gazette Bermuda Triangle Challenge. Fri January 15 - Sun January 17, 2021"
. runsingnup.com. Archived from
the original
on 8 October 2020.
- ^
a
b
Kuehls, Dave (June 2008).
Runner's World
. Rodale, Inc. pp. 111?112.
- ^
Horowitz, Jeffrey (2008-10-17).
My First 100 Marathons: 2,260 Miles with an Obsessive Runner
. Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
ISBN
978-1-60239-318-9
.
- ^
Treadwell, Sandy (1987).
The World of Marathons
. Stewart, Tabori & Chang.
ISBN
978-0-941434-98-0
.
- ^
Vaccariello, Linda (December 1995).
Cincinnati Magazine
. Emmis Communications. p. 56.
- ^
Bakoulis, Gordon (1999-09-01).
"Running Away: Bermuda"
.
Runner's World
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
"Bermuda Triangle Challenge - Official Program"
(PDF)
.
www.bermudaraceweekend.com
. Retrieved
2024-06-07
.
- ^
"Ali on the Run's Bermuda Triangle Challenge 2018 Recap"
.
Ali On The Run
. 2018-01-17
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
"10 Beach Races Worth Booking a Ticket For"
.
Shape
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
"Butterfield & BF&M Sponsor Triangle Challenge"
.
Bernews
. 2019-07-19
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
a
b
"Running over the holidays;NEWLN:UPI Special Package -- Winter Vacation '85"
.
UPI
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
a
b
New York Magazine
. New York Media, LLC. 1990-03-05.
- ^
"PwC Sponsors Bermuda Triangle Challenge"
.
Bernews
. 2019-11-01
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
Runner's World
. Rodale, Inc. January 2007.
- ^
a
b
"Bermuda Triangle Challenge 2020 - Bermuda Marathon"
.
Bermuda 4u
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
"Bermuda Olympian and professional triathlete Tyler Butterfield will make his debut at the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon"
.
mybestruns.com/
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
Neil, Scott (16 January 2020).
"Stunning performances have stood test of time | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda Supplement"
.
The Royal Gazette
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
a
b
Benyo, Richard; Henderson, Joe (2002).
Running Encyclopedia
. Human Kinetics.
ISBN
978-0-7360-3734-1
.
- ^
"Homepage - Bermuda Triangle Challenge"
.
www.bermudaraceweekend.com
. Archived from
the original
on 14 January 2020
. Retrieved
13 January
2022
.
- ^
"Bermuda Triangle Challenge Race Reviews | Hamilton, Bermuda"
.
RaceRaves
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.
- ^
Maffetone, Philip (2010-09-22).
The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing
. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
ISBN
978-1-61608-065-5
.
- ^
Sagert, Kelly Boyer; Overman, Steven J. (2012-02-13).
Icons of Women's Sport [2 volumes]
. ABC-CLIO.
ISBN
978-0-313-38549-0
.
- ^
"The Royal Gazette Bermuda Triangle Challenge"
.
The Royal Gazette Bermuda Triangle Challenge
. Retrieved
2020-07-01
.