The Bermuda Triangle Challenge (BTC) (also known as the Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge, and formerly known as the Bermuda Marathon Weekend) is a road race event held on the island of

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. The marathon has been held since 1975, while the challenge was created in 2008. The three-day running challenge takes place throughout Bermuda and includes a

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

on Friday evening, either the

10K run 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

or walk on Saturday morning, and either the half or full marathon on Sunday.https://www.bermudaraceweekend.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BTC_EventProgram_2020.pdf The event takes place in January, coinciding with the holiday weekend in honor of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

observed in the United States. Race participants include runners from over 25 countries. Elite runners have included Olympic and World Champions and former world record holders such as

Tyler Butterfield Tyler Barbour Butterfield (born February 12, 1983) is an athlete from Bermuda. He competes in road bicycle racing and triathlon events. He became Bermuda's first ever professional triathlete in 2002. He was voted Bermuda's male athlete of the yea ...

Douglas Wakiihuri Douglas Wakiihuri (born September 26, 1963, in Mombasa) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome. No other male Kenyan runner had ever won the marathon ...

, Steve Jones, Steve Cram,

Frank Shorter Frank Charles Shorter (born October 31, 1947) is an American former long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. His Olympic success, along with the ac ...

, Geoff Smith,

Ron Hill Ronald Hill MBE (25 September 1938 – 23 May 2021) was a British runner and clothing entrepreneur. He was the second man to break 2:10 in the marathon; he set world records at four other distances, and laid claim to the marathon world reco ...

Kathrine Switzer Kathrine Virginia Switzer (born January 5, 1947) is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator. In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. During her run, race man ...

and

Grete Waitz Grete Waitz (, 1 October 195319 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz wo ...

. The race is supported by a number of top sponsors including -

Chubb Limited Chubb Limited is an American company incorporated in Zürich, Switzerland. It is the parent company of Chubb, a global provider of insurance products covering property and casualty, accident and health, reinsurance, and life insurance and the la ...

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounti ...

, Bank of N.T. Butterfield, BF&M Insurance, Gosling Brothers, Bacardi Limited, Hamilton Princess,

Zurich Insurance Zurich Insurance Group Ltd is a Swiss insurance company, headquartered in Zürich, and the country's largest insurer. As of 2021, the group is the world's 112th largest public company according to ''Forbes'' Global 2000s list, and in 2011 it ran ...

, Butterfield & Vallis, Strata-G Ltd & many others.

History

The marathon was first held on as the Bermuda International Marathon. Seven runners participated, although only five finished the race. The marathon was not held again in 1976, but it returned in 1977. In 1978, the 10K race was added. That same year,

Joan Benoit Samuelson Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American woma ...

ran her first marathon here, after having won the inaugural 10K the previous day. She treated the marathon as a long workout, and ended up in second place with a time of 2:50:54. In 1989, the mile race was added, and in 1993, the half marathon was also added.

Courses

The event features scenic courses along the coast and beaches of

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. The marathon course begins in Sandy's Parish at the

Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until the mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial c ...

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 Paget Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for William Paget, 4th Baron Paget de Beaudesert (1572–1629). The parish is located in the central south of the island chain, immediately south of Hamilton Harbor on th ...

and passes along the Bermuda Botanical Garden's and into

Smith's Parish Smith's Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for English aristocrat Sir Thomas Smith/Smythe (1558–1625). Description It is located in the northeast of the main island, at the southern end of Harrington Sound, the large ...

along Spittal Pond and Devil's Hole then continues into Flatt's Village along the North Shore Road by

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

and turns at Spanish Point and heads towards the City of Hamilton finishing at Hamilton Harbor.

Other activities

The event includes leading speakers such as Bart Yasso,

, and

from the sports and health world and the BF&M 10k 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 The Gombey is an iconic symbol of Bermuda, a unique performance art full of colorful and intricate masquerade, dance and drumming. This folk tradition reflects the island's blend of African, Caribbean and British cultures. Dancers are usually ma ...

dancers, DJ’s and local celebrations along all the race courses.

Notes

References

{{Reflist Marathons in North America Road running competitions