The trouble with last Thursday’s May 24 Half-Marathon Derby we’ll call it that as nobody seems to know what to call it these days was that there were too many runners.And there was one runner who shouldn’t have been there at all (we’ll get to that later).The ‘too many’ refers to those in the relay race, the introduction of which seems to have pleased the organisers enormously.Their pride stems from the fact that an additional 320 athletes took part in four men/women teams who covered the 13.1 mile course with only a quarter of the effort expended by those who went the full distance.Tradition alone should dictate that the Marathon Derby, as it is was once known and by no other name, is a race for the fittest, the strongest, the toughest and for those who have spent months preparing for this annual challenge.Relay runners who are required to run a little more than three miles could get almost as much exercise by putting on a costume and jogging in the afternoon’s parade.The fact is that the relay detracts from the event and from the performance of every single runner who completes this gruelling trek from Somerset to Bernard Park without the help of three team-mates.Their entry fees add substantially to the organisers’ kitty and they get to enjoy the unique atmosphere created by the thousands of spectators who line the route.But that privilege should be extended to only those who go it alone.The Bermuda Day, the Half-Marathon Derby or just the May 24 race any will do has a rich history.Along with Cup Match, it defines Bermuda much like the Gombeys, shorts, onions and pink sand.The May 24 race is simply Bermuda. There’s no other event like it anywhere else in the world and there’s no athlete who can compete in it unless they live on the Island. And that’s the way it should be.But as it wasn’t broken why have the organisers chosen to fix it?If they want to put on a relay race, then put it on another day. Perhaps on the weekend before or on the weekend after, but not when the ‘real’ athletes get the deserved accolades for battling the heat, humidity and hills without any assistance.The majority of spectators aren’t particularly interested in the relay runners, and the ‘real’ athletes certainly aren’t.There’s nothing worse for those struggling along Harbour Road, or for that matter anywhere on the course, to see a runner, fresh as a daisy, speeding past.And with bib numbers on the front, they have no idea whether they’re actually in the only race that matters.If they aren’t, it can be demoralising for those either front, middle or back of the pack.The agony or elation expressed by those who reach the Bernard Park finish line is exclusively theirs. And when the pain wears off there’s a wonderful sense of achievement.The last leg relay runners don’t deserve that.So next year, hopefully those who are invited to join a team will decline.If they want to compete, then make the same sacrifices of those required to put in the necessary training and be prepared to suffer the same pain.* * * *AS for the one runner who shouldn’t have been there at all . . . sorry Zane, this wasn’t the time or place to make a political statement.Wearing a vest with ‘PLP all the way’ emblazoned on the back smeared the occasion perhaps even more than the relay.This was a road race not an election race.There’s no place for politics in sport. Sadly it happens but it should be avoided at all costs.Leave the campaigning on the doorstep or in the House. But don’t go canvassing in an event so dear to all Bermudians.The majority don’t want to see it.Bermuda Day is all about Bermudians, no matter what their political persuasion. It’s a public holiday when they want to watch the race, watch the parade, get out on the boat and forget the political wranglings which do so much to divide to this country on an almost day to day basis.Using the Derby as a political platform was out of order. Perhaps Mr. Speaker will say as much at the next session!ADRIAN ROBSON