Run Barbados is the largest marathon in the Caribbean. The prestigious Run Barbados Marathon has evolved into one of Barbados’ premier sporting activities on the island, known for its festive atmosphere and spirit of camaraderie. The Run Barbados unique route takes participants on a scenic journey through the east coast …
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Run Barbados is the largest marathon in the Caribbean. The prestigious Run Barbados Marathon has evolved into one of Barbados’ premier sporting activities on the island, known for its festive atmosphere and spirit of camaraderie. The Run Barbados unique route takes participants on a scenic journey through the east coast of Barbados. The friendly local culture, the sheer beauty of the island and the marathon’s course that is both scenic and historic.
A UNIQUE 3-DAY EXPERIENCE The festivities kick off with The Garrison Savannah Fun Mile on Friday, with entertainment starting at 6 PM and the Fun Mile at 8PM. The race will start and finish at the historic Garrison Savannah. On Saturday, the fun begins at 3:30 PM on the scenic East Coast at Barclays Park. The races for the day are the Sleeping Giant 5k Race and the Sand Dunes 10k Race. The marathon weekend ends on Sunday with the Farley Hill Half and Full marathon commencing at 5:30 AM. Then the Joe’s River coastal walk will follow and start at 7 AM. All participants will receive a Run Barbados branded T-shirt. Participants in each race will receive a uniquely designed Finisher medal. If you enter running events on all three (3) days, you will have a chance to win a special challenge medal.
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Friendly but pretty amateur organization
Chill vibe and beautiful vistas, but extremely early start time (5:30am) compounded with poor communications and organization around race morning transportation leaves a lot to be desired. You also have … MORE
Chill vibe and beautiful vistas, but extremely early start time (5:30am) compounded with poor communications and organization around race morning transportation leaves a lot to be desired. You also have to share the roads with cars and buses. Appreciate their efforts and let’s hope they get better.
Jump in the ocean at the finish line!
It's a hot weather run for sure and has a 5am start time to reflect the fact that it's going to be about 24degC (75degF) even at that time of … MORE
It’s a hot weather run for sure and has a 5am start time to reflect the fact that it’s going to be about 24degC (75degF) even at that time of the day. Not too much humidity but it still requires training and strategies to stay hydrated and cool when the sun comes out. Lots of water stops to be sure, but I’d personally recommend carrying additional fluids for yourself.
There’s some pleasant scenery for parts of the run, but you start out well before sunrise so you don’t see some of that until the return half (it’s an out and back, and double for the full marathon). No surprise that there’s not too much of a crowd out to watch at that time on a Sunday, so it’s a quieter run. All on paved roads. Some traffic later in the morning.
Like Bermuda (in January) this race is part of a three day weekend starting with a fun run Mile on Friday night (slightly disorganized this year), and options for 5km or 10km on Saturday around sunset (which must be pretty some years, but we had rain and cloud this year).
Makes for a tougher challenge to turn it around 11 hours after the 10km on Saturday for a 5am start Sunday, but that makes for a more serious running crowd perhaps. It also makes it a bit confusing to compare your times to other races and other racers because there’s no obligations to run multiple events. In other words the runner who beats you by a few seconds might have fresher legs than you by not having run the night before, but there’s no way to know that. My suggestion to race organizers would be to include statistics for runners competing in the full race challenge.
But for sure, the very best part of this in my opinion is the ability to be cooling off in the crystal clear waters of Carlisle Bay within a minute of finishing the run!! That’s better than any medal or t-shirt.
Hotter than I expected
Bring your own hydration. Practice running solo. It's a small marathon and you'll cover several miles alone. Roads are open to traffic. Bring money. Food is for sale at finish … MORE
Bring your own hydration. Practice running solo. It’s a small marathon and you’ll cover several miles alone. Roads are open to traffic. Bring money. Food is for sale at finish line but not much is offered to runners for free. Enjoy a swim in the ocean after you cross the finish line. Best cool down ever!