There are easier courses to pick for your first marathon than Bermuda, but for Zane Jones it was the perfect choice.

Jones, who finished eleventh in the PwC Marathon but won the 20-29 age group, was born on the island before leaving with his family at the age of 3 and there was no better place to race when he set himself the challenge of taking part in his first 26-mile contest.

“I was born in 2001, lived here until I was three and then moved to the US with my family,” Jones, 23, said.

“I would come back in the summers to see my grandmother, so I love that I got to do my first marathon here. Being born in Bermuda, the peak of endurance running for me was to come home, to my home country, and do the most challenging endurance event.”

This race has been a year in the making for Jones, who decided at the start of last year to test himself to his limit.

“I have a history in basketball, I grew up playing it and at the beginning of 2024 I finished my last collegiate season, so I was looking for a new challenge,” Jones said.

“In basketball I always enjoyed conditioning, short-distance sprints, so I wanted to get into long distance. At the beginning of 2024 I said in 2025 I’m going to do the Bermuda Marathon. I didn’t know how but knew I was going to try to do my best, train and go for it.”

Jones was in plenty of pain as he crossed the line in 3:26:23 and was thankful to fellow runner George Burles for helping him through a difficult period in the race.

“The marathon is no joke and I’ve run 5K, 10K and half marathons throughout this year and I thought I was ready,” he said.

“I ran a pretty decent half-marathon but I was not ready for this, By mile eight I was feeling it and coming down South Shore the sights were beautiful but it was not enough to distract me.

“From pretty much mile 18 to mile 25, it was straight pain. I had a cramp from mile 20 to mile 22 but I met a fellow runner called George and we ran for about two miles together and he is what carried me through.”

When the going gets tough, the marathon can be as much of a mental test as a physical one and Jones, who was supported by plenty of family and friends, turned to them as he fought fatigue.

“I thought about my family here,” he said.

“Like I said, I was born in Bermuda and I have cousins on the island. I also have a bunch of family from the US who came to support me today and my belief in God. I couldn’t have done this without Him.

“I got through 18 weeks of training without injury, which was a big win and allowed me to perform today, so all glory to God, to my family, and to George.”