Runners-up looking to go one better on derby day
If the 2025 edition of the Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby is anything like the last, the stage could be set for a couple of exciting rematches.
The destination of the men’s and women’s crowns in 2024 were up for grabs as the leading competitors made their way up Front Street, with Lamont Marshall and Gayle Lindsay leaving it late before breaking away to beat Ryan Outerbridge and Christine Dailey by 17 and 23 seconds respectively.
The protagonists are back in action this year, with Outerbridge, 22, representing the next generation hoping to take their place at the top table of Bermudian distance running. In his way stands five-times derby champion Marshall, who is nearly 20 years older, but the young pretender has big plans.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my goal was to go out and win it,” Outerbridge said.
“I feel like I can go one spot better, and I know I’ve got a lot stronger this year, so I don’t see why I can’t push for the win.
“Last year I probably exceeded most people’s expectations — and even mine, to be honest. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I had a lot of confidence going into that race, but I wasn’t expecting to push for the win as long as I was able to, so that was a huge plus.”
Outerbridge has been in superb form since competing in Bermuda last year. He has made it to the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, won a gold medal and was named most valuable athlete at the Northeast-10 Indoor Championships before winning the 10,000 metres and steeplechase at his conference outdoor championships.
With those performances under his belt, it is no wonder the confidence is high as he prepares to run in Bermuda’s most iconic race.
“I’m very pleased with my form and I’ve had huge success recently,” Outerbridge said.
“While that is great, this race is very big and very important to me. It’s a huge deal for all Bermudian distance runners. We all looking forward to competing in this race and all hope to win it at least once. It has so much history behind it and the fact the island comes out to support makes for a wonderful feeling.
“There is nothing like competing in front of your home crowd, and it will be good if I can put on a good show for my family. They have supported me for my entire career, driving me to practice, paying for my workouts when I was with Bermuda Pacers, and all my travel expenses. I owe my entire journey to them.”
While one of last year’s runners-up is putting pressure on himself to win this time around, the other is taking the opposite tack, with Dailey insisting she is not preoccupied with victory.
“I don’t feel any pressure to win,” she said. “I don’t feel that I need to overcome anything because I haven’t won the race yet.
“All I want to do is to work as hard as I can. I want to feel the pain when I need to feel the pain, and I want to leave nothing on the table. If I can do that and know that there is nothing more I could have given to the race, then I will be happy.“
Dailey was a few metres in front of Lindsay with a mile to go in 2024, and she admits that being passed late in the race was a deflating experience.
“Last year was a funny one to describe,” Dailey said.
“While it was heartbreaking, it was also the most fun I’ve ever had, as I was in the lead the whole time and I had 12 or 13 miles of pure joy and fun.
“Everybody was cheering, I was behind the truck and I felt really good. That was a big thing and I had a very comfortable and enjoyable run. I felt great and had so much fun, but the last minute was heartbreaking.
“I forget what my time was, but I must have had 1hr 24min of fun and the last minute was heartbreaking.”
Dailey has competed in the race on a number of occasions and feels it is the most important event on her racing calendar.
“It’s brought me a lot of joy over the years and it’s the most fun half-marathon to be part of,” she said.
“The history of the race is incredible, the spectators are incredible and the challenge of the course with hills, the heat and humidity gives you just a real sense of accomplishment when you do get to the finish line.
“The whole journey, the training and the build-up is so much fun because Bermuda has such a large and close running community that you are seeing these people on the roads and picking people up to train with them, so it becomes a community event.
“I’m feeling good now and I have no injuries, so that’s huge. I got my miles in and I worked very hard in this training block, so I feel strong.”
Dailey’s conqueror Lindsay is chasing a hat-trick of wins and feels that a third straight win would be a huge achievement.
“Winning for a third time would be incredibly special,” Lindsay said.
“There are only a handful of athletes who have managed to achieve that feat and I would love to be able to add my name to that prestigious list. However, what matters most to me is being able to say I left everything on the course and that I gave it everything I had.”
While Lindsay is wary of the challenge posed by Dailey, she predicts her biggest challenge will come from Isabelle Dutranoit, who won the race in 2022 as a teenager and is back for the first time since.
“However, there a lot of other very talented runners taking to the start line, including Christine Dailey, so I expect it to be a tough race,” Lindsay said. “But my training has been going well, and I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made.
“I've had a few good races in the build-up, which have been helpful in gauging my fitness. The work I’ve put in has felt rewarding and I’m really looking forward to the race itself.”
The race starts at 8.30am out of St George’s, with the course revamped to cut out a loop in the Palmetto Road area that proved unpopular with runners because of a tight turn.
As a result, the start has moved farther into the Town of St George, with the runners taking off in the vicinity of Shinbone Alley.
• For the full 2025 Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby entry list and a map of the new course, see Related Media
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