A number of notable overseas participants have arrived on island to take part in the 46th edition of the Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge.

One standout name, who will be among the field is French diplomat, medical doctor, and barefoot runner Sidy Diallo, who will his 369th marathon in his 100th country when he competes in Bermuda this weekend.

The 67-year-old has also run barefoot in a 90km ultra and 123 marathons, including five of the marathon majors, after starting running in 2010 aged 55, competing in the Chicago Marathon before switching to barefoot running five years later.

Another notable entrant who could be among the field is guest of honour Meb Keflezighi, who will also be acting as an honorary speaker.

Keflezighi clinched an Olympic silver medal for the United States in the marathon in Athens, Greece in 2004, and also narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the 2012 Games in London, finishing fourth. In total he represented his country at four Olympics after competing in Sydney Australia in 2000 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil‎, in 2016.

He also won the New York City Marathon in 2009 and the Boston Marathon in 2014, and in doing so became the first person to win an Olympic medal in the marathon and win both the New York City and Boston marathons.

Someone else to keep an eye out for is 35-year-old Bryan Morseman of the United States, who comes into the event with a strong pedigree after winning a total of 74 marathons throughout his running career.

There will also be a number of international elite athletes taking to the start line of individual events within the challenge.

Among them are American Christina Vergara-Aleshire, a two-time Olympic trials qualifier who will be competing in the Front Street Mile and 10-kilometre race. She will be joined in both races by Las Vegas Gold team-mate Ellie Stevens, while J.J. Santana will be competing in the Half Challenge.

Other international athletes to look out for include Christian Harrison, an adidas athlete who runs for the Gold Coast Track Club and will be running in the Mile, as well as Adrian Haines, an Elite masters athlete from the United Kingdom, who will be taking on the Mile and 10K.

Canadian Stephanie Hodge will also be continuing her long affinity with the event, this being the seventeenth time she will be competing in the Triangle Challenge.

Meanwhile local interest comes in the form of 27-year-old Dage Minors, who rewrote the history books in 2018 to become the first Bermudian to win the iconic Mile race, while he also finished second to American Patrick Casey when the event was last held in 2020.

He will joined on the start line of the Mile by compatriot and rising talent Ryan Outerbridge, who will also be flying the flag among the elite men’s field.

Another recognisable entrant will be Kenyan Dennis Mbelenzi.

The former Bermuda resident from 2007 to 2019 became a firm favourite among the island’s running community, having taken part in his first competitive race in the Ovarian Cancer Zurich 5K at Clearwater in 2016 before going on to claim victories in the David Saul Memorial Fidelity 5K Road Race, the Axa Man on the Run 5K, the Friends of Hospice/Hannover Re Half-Marathon, the Bacardi 8K Road Race and the Swan’s Running Club Legends race series.

He most notably finished second in the in the Bermuda Day Half-Marathon Derby in a time of 2hr 26min and will be aiming to go one better in Sunday’s marathon event.

Participants in the event, which is returning after an enforced two-year Covid-19 hiatus, will compete in three races in three days kicking off with the Butterfield Mile on Friday, followed by the BF&M 10K Run/Walk on Saturday before concluding with the PwC Bermuda Marathon and Half-Marathon on Sunday.

“Although the name has evolved over time, this is the 46th edition of this event. This year will be a momentous occasion as we all emerge from the constraints placed upon us by the Covid-19 pandemic to return to competition and witness athletic prowess in the mile, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon events,” said Freddie Evans, president of the Bermuda National Athletic Association.

“The Bermuda Triangle Challenge committee worked tirelessly throughout the year to prepare for this event and to ensure it is bigger and better than ever!

“An example of their determination to improve the event is the introduction of the half marathon relay. The half-marathon relay is intended to increase first-time participation.

“World Athletics has an adage that “sports bring people together” and in this case, the organisers, sponsors, and volunteers have come together to not only make this event possible but to make this event spectacular.”