by SHERRYLYN A. CLARKE

A PROPOSAL to revamp and possibly bring some life to the Run Barbados series, specifically the marathon, has received no response from the organisers at the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA).

Eric Clarke, co-ordinator of the Ufukuzo Road Racing Club, submitted the first piece of correspondence to BTA president Stuart Lane on January 4, and followed up with a full nine-page proposal, complete with a map of the route, arrival times at the major points, challenges and comparative statistics from the Jamaica, Trinidad, New York City and London marathons on March 20, 2006.

"With the current low level of participation, I do not see a problem in making an effort to try something different, especially when it will not increase the set-up costs or increase other risks. With nine months to race day, I think that enough time remains to make the changes for 2006," Clarke said in the letter.

Another five months have passed and still there has been no response, but Clarke and a group of 12 runners from Ufukuzo and WIBISCO Stars ran a section of the route on August 20.

"We tested the Holetown to Esplanade segment. We haven't only been theoretical, we wanted to see how it felt to get through the intersections without a police escort," Clarke said.

He said police would be needed at the junctions of Deacons/Black Rock Main Road; Holborn/Spring Garden; Country Road/Passage Road; the top of Bridge Road and at Pine/Culloden in the event the route was adopted.

On October 1, Clarke said they would tackle the full route from River Bay as several runners were training to compete on the Trinidad-UWI Half Marathon and another for the New York Marathon.

Meanwhile, NATIONSPORT understands the correspondence was forwarded to the BTA's Sports Department, but neither Winston Carter nor Morris Greenidge has seen the document.

They invited Clarke to resubmit it to the department.

"If he has a valid point to bring to the board that he could discuss, we would be willing to hear it," Greenidge said. "He used to be involved in the Run Barbados series and he knows he can talk to us."