Time Running Out To Enter Barbados Contest

Time is fleeting for those wanting to enter a contest revolving around the Run Barbados festival.

Dec. 7-9 Run Barbados features a one-mile walk, and 5K, 10K and half-marathon running races.

The festival is a celebration of athleticism in a destination best known for its sun-splashed beaches.

“I think Run Barbados has been a very attractive option for Canadian runners,” says Peter Mayers, director of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s Canadian office. “We’re trying to position this as the best way to end your year of running – end with the best.

“It remains a staple on the calendar,” he says. “We want to show how the island is able to put together this world-class event.”

The Canada Running Series, which organizes running races across Canada, is involved with Run Barbados and will have Canadian Olympians Natasha Wodak and Sasha Gollish again competing this year.

Runners of all levels are invited to participate.

Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. is hosting a contest that gives Canadian travel agents a chance to win a five-night trip for two to Barbados.

The winner will stay at the Courtyard by Marriott, found on the southern part of the island.

Mayers says the winner will see other parts of the destination, including its varied coasts, among them the east coast, which he praises for it “pristine beaches” and which attracts surfers. The west coast – sometimes called the Platinum Coast – has more tranquil water.

Other island highlights include Harrison’s Cave, a remarkable underground cave system that visitors explore by tram. Another subterranean experience is Animal Flower Cave, which Mayers says has visitors “descend 20 to 25 steps and experience a cave that pretty much looks out onto the north side of the island.

“Barbados has some of the most beautiful, pristine beaches in the Caribbean because we’re not a volcanic island,” he says. “We expose visitors to some wonderful beaches.”

And those beaches may be appreciated by Run Barbados entrants who may want to cool off after crossing the finish lines, he continues.

“There’s a beautiful strip of beach immediately adjacent to the finish,” he reports. “That [jumping into the ocean] is an option for people who finish their run.

“They can run and then have some fun.”

To enter the contest answer a question online at http://promo.baxter.net/contest/barbados.asp. The deadline is Dec. 7.