Dear Sports Editor,

As race secretary for the Bermuda International Race Weekend I am once again disappointed by your negative coverage in relation to the event.

You reported on a situation where I do not believe you are in full possession of all the facts. I do not want to get into detail about the concerns raised by Thom Gilligan beyond making the point that his decision not to participate in the 2006 event is based more on his own business priorities than the level of cooperation surrounding the event.

You have focused on the matter of cooperation and I should point out that we warmly and individually greet our overseas visitors and indeed collect many of the elite runners from the airport.

We routinely deliver group race packets to the hotels and on the evening before the Half-Marathon and Marathon I personally visit the hotels accommodating the group participants who choose to switch races at the last moment.

We provide a local runner/speaker to address the groups before their pasta dinner. We deliver individual race packets to the hotels if visitors are unable to get to our scheduled registration.

The support and cooperation is present before and after the event, for example group conference calls responding to logistical matters through to dashing to hotels with trophies after the event to catch people, who were unable to attend the Awards Ceremony, before they leave Bermuda.

I wonder how this compares to New York or Boston.

On the subject of numbers, obviously overseas entries can fluctuate but we manage to attract over 500 entrants plus family members each year. The numbers are: 2001 ? 670; 2002 ? 758; 2003 ? 547; 2004 ? 890; 2005 ? 520.

In recent years Marathon Tours has brought the American Stroke Association group, in 2005 with 254 people. This group?s fundraising programme has taken another direction and thus Marathon Tours does not have a large group coming. This goes some way to explaining Marathon Tours none participation in 2006.

I should add that overseas visitors for the event stay at a cross section of local tourist accommodation, in 2005 occupying 15 different hotels and guest houses. All but invited elite runners pay their own accommodation.

Locally the Bermuda running and walking community continue to contribute to the success of the Bermuda International Race Weekend.

Last year we had 683 participants and contrary to your stated opinion, local entries have consistently exceeded 600 each year since 2001.

The Bermuda International Race Weekend Committee is a volunteer committee working to raise money for the BTFA as well as working hard to organise an important January sports/tourism event for Bermuda. We are grateful for the support we receive from the Bermuda Department of Tourism, KPMG and the hundreds of volunteers and look forward to making 2006 a success.

Unfortunately it seems that there is a tendency to put a negative spin on the event at every perceived opportunity. Nothing is ever perfect and constructive criticism is healthy but please consider that there are usually two sides to each story.

Finally for those participants who have not yet submitted entries I would take this opportunity to remind everyone that the deadline is Wednesday, November 30, 2005, beyond which a late fee would be payable.

Entry forms are at local sport stores and at our website ? www.bermudatracknfield.com. Many thanks for allowing me to put another face on the Bermuda International Race Weekend. ? As race secretary, Pam Shailer has made an enormous contribution to Race Weekend over many years, perhaps moreso than any other single volunteer. During his interview with last week, Thom Gilligan made the point that had it not been for the continued help offered by Mrs. Shailer, he might have been tempted to cut his long association with Race Weekend even earlier than he did.

However, he did complain of a general lack of cooperation and, in his words, was ?fed up? with dealing with the BTFA and Department of Tourism.

This shouldn?t be perceived as negative reporting on the part of . Mr.Gilligan was offering his opinion on an event to which he had brought in runners for some 27 years. He and his Marathon Tours group had become an integral part of the annual running festival, and whether his comments are disputed or not, we believe they were newsworthy.

As for my own Friday Forum column, I believe my view that Race Weekend has declined in terms of its stature as a significant international event is shared by many who have either watched or participated over the festival?s long history.

While, as Mrs. Shailer points out, numbers have been impressive since 2001, it should be noted a very large percentage of those competing have been charity walkers.

Such entrants might be contributing to a very worthy cause, but in this writer?s humble opinion they hardly add to Race Weekend?s reputation as a sporting spectacle.