Dear Sir,

I appreciate you giving space to print this letter in your gazette. The recent decision by the Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby organisers to require citizenship or residency has motivated me to write.

This race has been an inspiration for my running for most of my lifetime — from growing up on Burnt House Hill and going down the driveway to cheer everyone over the hump with all the neighbourhood, to more recently taking it on myself. This year would have been my fifteenth May 24 run.

The event is very special: the best of Bermuda, 13 miles of enthusiastic, cheering spectators is amazing. I so look forward to that energy spurring me along every step of the way that it motivates me to put on my running shoes on the cold, wet, windy training days of February.

Now, it sadly looks as if I’m not going to be able to run the race this year. It turns out that even though I was born in Bermuda 62 years ago, am Bermudian, and have run this race enthusiastically 14 times, I am not Bermudian enough.

I am not Bermudian enough to understand why we would not want to share this experience. We have previously had houseguests visit and participate; they can’t wait to do it again. I can appreciate having separate entry/prize categories for locals and visitors, but a ban does not make sense to me — whether it is six months or 62 years of Bermudian attachment.

Maybe by 2025 the ban will be lifted or, in my 63rd year of being Bermudian, I’ll see the light of why closing the doors to the race make sense and I’ll enjoy it again.

JAY RIIHILUOMA

Sandys