August 9, will be the Second Annual Road Relay, sponsored by Ani Villas and Ani Art Academies in Anguilla. It is expected that there will be a large number of runners passing on the baton to each other at every interval of two miles of the 16-mile journey.
The rules of the relay include that each team must complete the race in order to qualify for the attractive cash prizes; and each of the eight athletes per team must run a two-mile leg of the race.
All teams are being urged to use the available time they have to get themselves organised for the event. The participants are to include senior teams and junior teams, sports clubs, village teams, and businesses representatives.
Mr Ira Bloom, speaking on behalf of Ani Villas and Ani Art Academies, told The Anguillian: “This is the Second Annual Road Relay that we will be running. It is a relay race of sixteen miles, from one end of the island to the other, and each team will have eight runners who will each run two miles; and it will go from Covecastles to Island Harbour where we will have a barbecue party afterwards.”
Mr Bloom noted that there were a number of persons who could run two miles, but it would still be a challenging experience. “It is not a little sprint and so it will take some training for some persons to do it -but it is not like running a marathon,” he observed.
Well-known runner, Keith (Madukii) Brooks, who is assisting in coordinating the road relay, explained: “We already have the two-mile intervals marked out. One runner will be handing over the stick to the other person at each interval and the race will continue like a regular relay. We have eight stations where the runners will change over the stick, and there will also be water stations at each interval. We are inviting the schools to bring their cross-country teams and it is open to everybody. We are announcing the event early in order to give everyone enough time to prepare the teams.”
Mr Bloom said: “We would like to have twenty teams (eight persons a team, totalling 160 runners). The more teams, the more fun and competitive the road relay will be. We will have different prizes for different categories…My guess is that we are going to end up with ten or fifteen teams. As soon as they start running, there will be some separation between them and they will only be running on one side or at the edge of the road. So there will be no need to close off the whole of the road to traffic.”
Mr Brooks, who described himself as a liaison between Ani Villas, Ani Academies and the coaches, stated: “I give credit to Mr Tim Reynolds, owner of the properties. He was the one who suggested the road relay and I took up the idea and ran with it. He was a long-distance runner and so he has an interest in this type of sporting activity.”
Asked about the objective of the event, Brooks replied that it was intended “to help promote young athletes and to give them an avenue” of exposure. He added: “You can never tell. This might help them to get a scholarship and then continue their athletic future.”
He said it was of interest to note that “during the time when this road relay is taking place, there will be the carnival activities with a lot of people in Anguilla.” He thought “it will be a good time for the youngsters to showcase their talent.”
Mr Bloom added that Mr Reynolds will be in Anguilla for the event, and “we will be spending a decent amount of money in support of this.”
