Organizers of the Powerade Run Barbados Series will make a greater effort to indicate major turning points and have more marshals along the course to prevent a recurrence of this year’s marathon where the winner ran off course.
Last Sunday, defending champion Richard Kessio of Kenya and Trinidadian Curtis Cox followed the lead vehicle along Highway 1 instead of making the left turn onto Queen Street into Speightstown, St Peter.
Although they turned around and finished the race, a protest was lodged by St Vincent’s Pamenos Ballantyne and Andrew Gutzmore of Jamaica, the third and fourth placed runners, immediately after the race.
In confirming that the results would stand, race director Rawle Clarke told NATIONSPORT there were markings in the road and a marshal had been placed at the spot, but had moved – probably to use the bathroom – before returning.
“We don’t have two poles in that area like we have for the half-marathon where you can put a banner saying turnaround point. What we have to do is put a high sign in the air and have more marshals there in case they are trying to run straight,” Clarke said.
“It is obvious when you are coming down the road and you don’t see anyone, you will keep straight. So we will try to put something in the area there. We will put a bigger sign so it will be visible to everyone.”
The board of the Barbados Tourism Authority met on Tuesday evening and upheld the results of the marathon since “neither had gained any material advantage. In addition, the committee acknowledged that both Kessio and Cox had covered all checkpoints along the route”.
The decision was based on two of the International Association of Athletics Federations’ rules (240.9 and 10) governing race conduct.
Those rules state:
“In road races, an athlete may leave the road or track with the permission and under the supervision of an official, provided that by going off course he does not lessen the distance to be covered.
“If the Referee is satisfied on the report of a Judge or Umpire or otherwise that an athlete has left the marked course thereby shortening the distance to be covered, he shall be disqualified.”
“Once he [Kessio] doesn’t lessen the route, he still qualified. If he ran shorter and finished first, he’s deemed as being disqualified,” Clarke explained.
“If he did not touch the mat, he would have been disqualified because it would not have registered at the starting point. Instead of going through Queen Street, he turned, came back the long way by Almond Beach before coming back on the route.”
The decision was also aided by the use of audio and video footage taken where the runners left the designated course.
Meanwhile, organizers are also encouraged by the number of participants which reached 1 193, the most in two decades, and crowd support was also high.
Clarke acknowledged that from 1983 to 1990 the series comprised the 10K and marathon only, but the addition of the Midnight Mile, 5K and 3K had appealed to more competitors. Similarly, there were more road races this year, with the warm-up 10K and NATION Funathlon in November giving runners a chance to test themselves before the big event.
The numbers in all of the races increased except the marathon which was in the same range with 77.
The schools are also taking advantage of the shorter races. Harrison College, who were first among the boys and second in the girls, had 56 participants, Grantley Adams Memorial 20 and Springer Memorial, who were first and third among the girls, had 18 to 24 runners.
