Sebastian Coe is heading to Bermuda in the new year to be the guest speaker at the 2025 Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge.

A legendary British middle-distance runner who won four Olympic medals, including two golds in the 1500 metres in 1980 and 1984, Lord Coe is now the president of World Athletics and one of seven candidates to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee.

Coe retired from competitive athletics in 1980 and was made an Officer of the Order Of the British Empire in 1991. He led London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and was chair of the organising committee for what is widely regarded as one of the most successful Games of the last 50 years.

He will be speaking at the Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge pasta dinner, presented and hosted by Global Atlantic Re, on Saturday, January 18 at 6pm, at the Hamilton Princess Hotel and Beach Club.

His autobiographyRunning My Life will also be available for sale, both at the dinner and at the Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge Expo on Friday, January 17, also held at the Hamilton Princess and open to the public from 10am to 6pm.

Coe’s presence on the island has been welcomed by Donna Raynor, who has worked closely with the Olympic champion since becoming the first Bermudian elected to the World Athletics Council in 2021.

“I have known President Coe since I was the President of the Bermuda National Athletics Association,” Raynor said. “He has encouraged me to sit on several World Athletics committees, The Development Commission, Transgender Working Group, chair of the National Review Committee, and the International Athletic Foundation.

“He has been my mentor and was a huge supporter when I decided to run for Council. His goal was for gender equality by the year 2027 but we accomplished this in the 2023 election. The 214 member federations elected 13 males and 13 females on the Council. My intention has been to have President Coe visit Bermuda for a number of years and I was delighted when he accepted my invitation to be the guest speaker of the 2025 Bermuda Triangle Challenge.”

Domico Watson, a leading member of the running community on Ireland, serves as creative director for the Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge and met Coe at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

“President Coe has reached the highest level as an athlete and now is athletics’ global leader,” Watson said.

“You expect to meet an individual that will want the highest standards of decorum. Instead, he is such a down-to-earth and humble person that will usually lighten the mood of a conversation with a joke or fun comment.

“His passion for athletics stretches to all levels and events. You can always reminisce about history or current news taking place in various sports and I ran into him on a number of my morning runs in Paris.

“He knew I was preparing for the Olympic Mass Participant Marathon and maintained the same humorous advice ‘just keep training’. He was so gracious as to acknowledge my run during the World Athletics Olympics closing reception.

“I am extremely excited for President Coe to visit Bermuda so he can display the joy and great spirit he has for the sport to all Challenge participants.”

Darryl Herrick, managing director of Global Atlantic Re, is thrilled his company are sponsoring the event at which Coe is speaking.

“It is a tremendous honour to celebrate president Coe, a true legend whose Olympic triumphs and lifelong dedication to athletics have inspired countless individuals around the globe,” Herrick said.

“President Coe has consistently demonstrated what it means to be an exceptional leader, and he continues to shape the future of international sport.

“As we gather in Bermuda for this extraordinary race weekend, we are reminded of the power of perseverance, community, and the shared love of competition that president Coe so exemplifies.”

Tickets for the Pasta Dinner cost $50 per person and will be available for purchase as of October 15, 2024, at bermudatrianglechallenge.com.