"It is my pleasure to announce that Kiss Baking Company will partner with the local organising committee, providing TT$1,000,000 to stage the 2013 Kiss Healthy Balance Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon. Our sponsorship will allow the Committee to deliver a world-class event".

The words of Lisa Morales, marketing business unit head at Kiss, brought loud applause from those present to witness the launch of the 2013 Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon (TTIM), which took place yesterday at Melange Restaurant, located at 40 Ariapita Avenue and Cornelio Street, Woodbrook.

Marathon Weekend is actually a three-day event from January 18-20 next year, which will culminate with the staging of the T&T International Marathon. The opening day on January 18 will see international runners treated to the Pasta Party, which will feature cultural performances, as well as a presentation to the Special Olympic movement.

Day Two of Marathon Weekend will see two events taking place: a 4 x 100 metre relay for schools around the Queen's Park Savannah, and a five-kilometre run. The final day will see a half-marathon (13.1 miles) event taking place before the main event, the 26.2 mile Kiss Healthy Balance T&T International Marathon.

TTIM marathon committee chairman Diane Henderson welcomed Kiss' generous sponsorship. She said it had come after "two hard years" — when the marathon's major financier, insurance giant CLICO, fell into financial difficulties — and urged other local companies to make use of tax incentives offered by the Government to companies, and assist in the development of sport.

"We had been trying to stage the event and maintain the national and international scope it has. One of the objectives of the marathon committee is to bring in top class athletes. We want to be seen as a competitive race," Henderson said, while also announcing an increase in the cash prizes.

Cash prizes amounted to $260,000 of the budget. Both male and female winners will get identical winners prizes of TT$23,000, up from $19,000 in 2012. The runners up in 2013 will earn $18,000, and third-place finishers will earn $12,000. There is also a US$1,000 incentive for anyone breaking the local men's (2:17.28) and women's (3:07.23) marathon records.

At the launch it was announced that defending champions Philemon Kipchilat (Kenya) and Mary Akor (Nigeria/USA) will be back for the event. Also expected here is London Marathon third-placed finisher Maros Pereira and Fernando Cabada, who was seventh at the USA Olympic trial.

The course for the 2013 marathon is unchanged from 2012, with the start at St Mary's Junction, Freeport, passing along the Southern Main Road to Curepe, and along the Eastern Main Road into Port of Spain. The race will then proceed through the streets of Port of Spain and finish outside Whitehall at Queen's Park West.

-Ian Prescott

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com