Following reports posted on this site and comments made by the Director of Youth and Sports the Half Marathon Derby Organizing Committee has issued the following statement.
The Organizing Committee of the Bermuda Day Half Marathon has heard the community and appreciates the passion surrounding the event and its heritage. We acknowledge that there have been many changes to both the holiday and the event name over the years, i.e. Queen's Birthday, 24th May, Heritage Day and Bermuda Day. The event name changed from "Marathon" to "Half Marathon “and the word "Derby" has been included or excluded over the years.
It should be noted that the original race began some 100+years ago and preceded the Bermuda Day holiday. The words "Bermuda Day" have never appeared in the official race name. We, in conjunction with our sponsor, Appleby, have agreed to alter the title to read "Appleby Bermuda Half Marathon Derby".
It should be noted that the word "Bermuda" was already included in the updated logo.
Let me end by saying that Appleby in no way threatened to pull their sponsorship, nor were they heavy-handed in any way. This is a long standing partnership, since 2005, and one that we both value and intend to continue.
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