IT'S not often -- for good reason -- that this writer would shower praise on our governing body for athletics...nor for that matter, on too many of our other governing bodies.

But, credit where credit is due! Bermuda Track and Field Association provided the Island with an exceptional three days of sport in the shape of International Race Weekend.

As mentioned in last week's column, and it still holds true, January's annual road running festival has over the years lost some of its gloss. Overall entries have gradually declined as has the calibre of the invited athlete.

Those who would disagree, among them some within the BTFA, need just take a glance back at the times recorded in all of the races during the 1980s and the size of the fields that competed.

But that really doesn't matter.

Race Weekend isn't all about elite athletes and record-breaking performances.

In fact, it's a whole lot more about bringing together runners and cultures from all corners of the globe and competing in a spirit of friendliness.

Providing the organisation is efficient, and with a little help from Mother Nature who finally obliged last weekend, the ingredients are all there for Bermuda to showcase an international event of which it can be proud. That was clearly the case last weekend when among the several hundred runners who flew in there were likely very few who didn't enjoy the adventure.

As should be the case with every tourist, Bermuda offers the visiting runner a unique experience and when events run as smoothly as they did over last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, that experience can only bode well for the future.

BTFA president Judy Simmons, as the individual responsible for the entire package, deserves a pat on the back. Yet, she would probably be the first to admit if it wasn't for helpers such as Roger Lee who, under trying circumstances, did an outstanding job in compiling the various results, and Pam Shailer, who has become the IRW's `jackie-of-all-trades', then no matter how hard she tried it would be to no avail. And of course there were hundreds of other volunteers, some taking bigger roles than others, without whom the races couldn't be held.

When the executive committee sit down for their annual post mortem, they'll be able to reflect on a job well done.

Yet there's still room for improvement. A reduction in the late entry fee would be one point worth considering, while there were sufficient negative comments from runners about the slight change in the marathon course to warrant yet another route alteration.

Changing the start and finish line might have been well received, but compensating by throwing in a 200-yard detour along Bermudiana Road towards the end certainly wasn't.

The last thing a wobbly-legged marathon runner wants as the finish line comes into sight is to be told by a marshall that an extra couple of hundred yards has been added on! Still, all things considered, there were far more compliments than complaints.

And the question therefore begs, if the BTFA and running clubs can work in harmony to produce such a superb international event, why on earth can't the domestic programme be run with a similar dose of civility and with similar success.

-- ADRIAN ROBSON