Behind the race - An insight into the Reggae Marathon with Race Director Alfred 'Frano' Francis
In our new interview series, World’s Marathons will be speaking with the people behind some of the most unique races across the globe. We’ll be discussing the history of the event, challenges and how to overcome them, attracting sponsors, reaching new runners and more!
For our first conversation in the series, we head to the Caribbean to discuss Jamaica's number one running event, the Reggae Marathon, with race director Alfred 'Frano' Francis.
Thank you for taking the time to discuss your race with us Frano. For anyone who is not familiar with you or the Reggae Marathon, could you share a little bit about yourself and the race?
The Reggae Marathon is Jamaica's premier international Marathon event and over the years has built a steady following amongst runners and walkers from over 40 countries. I have been the Race Director since inception. My passion is long distance running and I have been organizing road race events for about 25 years.
When did the first Reggae Marathon take place and how did it get started?
The Reggae Marathon is organized by the Jamdammers Running Club of Kingston, we have been pioneers in building a culture of long distance running here in Jamaica - we have run Marathons internationally and know what runners are looking for. We also wanted to develop the sports tourism industry in Jamaica - so we presented the first edition in 2001. I have served as club president twice over the years and currently maintain my role to develop long distance events for us and other runners.
How has the race evolved over the years?
We have grown in terms of numbers and participating countries, but the essence of what we set out to do hasn’t changed much, which is to present the best running experience for our participants. When the race started in 2001, we had a few hundred runners, now we have a couple of thousand, so it has grown but still retains an intimate feel.
It's been a tough year for in-person events and races across the world. How has the Reggae Marathon adapted to the pandemic?
It has been tough and we were all set in 2020 to present the best event ever celebrating 20 years - it was a disappointment to shelve some of those plans. We had actually prepared ourselves to present a Covid protocol compliant event but we recognized that with the rise in cases worldwide we would have to pivot and we presented our first virtual event instead - it was our first time doing this and we were surprised by the positive engagement from runners across the globe.
For in-person editions of the Reggae Marathon, where do your runners tend to come from? How many countries would you have represented typically?
We have evolved to having a 50/50 split between local and international participation - when we first started it was 70% international and 30% local - our mission is also to grow the sport of long distance running here in Jamaica as a sprint loving country! The last few years has seen participation from between 35 - 40 different countries.
Outside of Jamaica, which country is best represented?
The US and Canada, closely followed by Europeans from a few different countries.
What is the most challenging part of organising the Reggae Marathon?
Aligning all the moving components of the event to come together seamlessly on race day.
You've got an impressive range of sponsors for the Reggae Marathon including; Puma, the Jamaica Tourist board and Delta Airlines. What has been your strategy for reaching sponsors?
We invite our sponsors to become partners in the event and share the experience - we have a high percentage of repeat participants and the same for our sponsors - The experience of the event is what keeps people and sponsors coming back.
Aside from GetMeRegistered (for registrations) and World's Marathons (for exposure and reaching new runners), are there any other companies that you would recommend other race directors check out?
We use Marathon Photos, to get great shots of our participants along our beautiful coastal route, as well as MPTiming and MyLaps who take care of the timing side of things. We also have to thank our amazing sponsors and partners, they are great to work with and help by engaging with the event - we recommend them all.
What can runners expect from taking part in the Reggae Marathon?
A high level of runner care - we anticipate runners needs and aim to satisfy them before they reach the start line through to the finish with a dip in the Caribbean Sea, along with enjoying fresh coconut water and other goodies from our partners!
When is your next edition of the race and how many runners are you hoping for?
As long as the situation allows, we hope to present an in person event on Dec 5, 2021 - we will be keeping a virtual edition based on last year's success. We hope that with vaccines available and more comfort in the travel experience we can maintain the numbers we have had in previous years, around 2,000 in-person participants.
Thanks for your time Frano, great to speak and best of luck with the next edition of the Reggae Marathon… we might have to join you for a dip in the Caribbean!
Interested in taking part? You can register for the Reggae Marathon on World’s Marathons - https://worldsmarathons.com/marathon/reggae-marathon
To feature in our interview series you can drop us an email on blog@worldsmarathons.com
Interested in promoting your race with World’s Marathons or Ahotu Marathons? Contact us on partners@worldsmarathons.com
