March 6, 2016 at 4:30am

EVENT NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Contact Eric Clarke email: eecibia@gmail.com

See below comments from Eric:

START TIME - 4:30 AM - as dark as midnight - guaranteed! (with the aim of having everyone at the finish line by 7:00 AM)
GEAR: reflective vests and lights required. Black, navy blue or any other shade of blue, grey, silver or purple tops NOT recommended as the human eye seems not to dwell on those colours, especially at night!
RACE NUMBERS: I want to avoid bibs as they would signal a race rather than a training session. I will place a cone with an orange flag at the turn points and at the start/finish line.
AID STATIONS: There will be NO aid stations. Given that you may find it difficult to resist the temptation to run very quickly, on perhaps the easiest half marathon course ever (in Barbados), I would suggest that you try to take fluid about every 2.5 Km. Please see below a list of the suggested points:
Start & finish
2.5 Km - Pelican Village (Harbour) - south of Fish Terminal & opposite BTI parking lot seems more convenient re parking
5.0 Km - Weisers (on Spring Garden Highway) - on the outbound
7.5 Km - Westbury Road (St. Leonard's Church)
Suggestion: Team up with friends to arrange a common hydration vehicle. In other words, just do what you have to do in order to maintain a healthy fluid level.


I have already sent a sketch (map) showing the entire route. Below you will find two sketches showing:
Fig 1 - the start, finish and south turning line
Fig 2 - the north tuning line and the suggested running path on approach to and away from the tuning line

After the BDF cancelled the Half Marathon scheduled for Sunday 6 March, someone suggested that we should fill the time slot with a training event but with a difference: a half marathon trial - meaning, a run of half marathon distance with the attributes of a normal training day run e.g. supply your own hydration fluids, no fee etc. - except that everyone will get timed from an official clock.

I developed a relatively flat course of 10560 metres (shown on the sketch attached). As Pedro Zapata of AIMS/IAAF had measured from Esplanade to Brighton and from Baxters Road to the finish, I used the Google earth maps, Barbados Government ordinance maps and a new Epson sf-810 GPS to measure from Brighton junction to Baxters Road junction. I competed the route check on Sunday last. You will find green duct tape on the road surface at the northern extremity of the course (Brighton junction) and at the southern turn opposite Police Sports Club at the Bay Street Esplanade. The Run Barbados finish line will serve as the start and finish. The course has one 4-metre up-slope from Esso Holborn to Westbury/Kennedy Drive traffic lights - a distance of 408 m). For most the course, you will run at the 2 metre elevation. Therefore you should expect a very fast course and without the heat, you can run a good time! You must run two complete laps of the course to cover the half marathon distance. Try one lap to get a feel!

So from the map, you will the start and finish on the line Run Barbados uses as its Finish line. You will run to Brighton junction via Chamberlain Bridge, Wharf. Harbour and Spring Garden (RUNNING ON THE WEISERS SIDE). On reaching Brighton junction (NORTH TURN), you will turn towards the south on the Weisers side. On reaching the new pedestrian crossing lights, change to the other side of the road in preparation for the left turn when you reach Esso Holborn. Then continue on President Kennedy Drive, Westbury Road, Baxters Road to Broad Street. Turn left and continue over the Charles Duncan O'Neale Bridge (near bus terminal), Probyn Street (Fire Service) to the Bay Street Esplanade.

NOTE: If you switch sides at Brighton junction, you will run more than 15 metres extra (overall) and due to the width of the road, have a less safe crossing. Now on reaching the Esplanade, you will make the south turn at the green tape near to Police Sports Club - to make up for NOT entering the area of the junction at Brighton.

Should the number of participants reach about 25, then bibs may become necessary as the timer may not know all of you by sight.

Fig 1

Fig 2