CARICOM Stages 13th Annual Road Race on July 7

Members of the public are invited to participate in the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) 13th annual Road Race scheduled to take place on Saturday (July 7) beginning at 6:00 a.m. at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James.

The event is being held in conjunction with the 39th CARICOM Heads of Government Conference from July 4 to 6 at the Convention Centre.

The race, which will have a 5km and 10km component, will see runners heading west towards downtown Montego Bay, making the first left turn at Ironshore and returning to the Convention Centre.

Participants in the 5km option of the race will take the same route, turning at the 2.5km mark and returning to the start.

Alfred “Frano” Francis of Running Events Jamaica, who is the Race Director, told JIS News that about 200 persons are expected to participate, including athletes from some CARICOM countries.

He said persons are required to register, so that they can have a bib with a number and a chip to record their time.

The bibs will be distributed to registered persons at the Convention Centre on Friday, July 6 between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

“We are trying to have the highest standard where technology is concerned in road running here at the CARICOM Conference,” Mr. Francis noted.

He said that members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) will be on hand to direct motorists, as sections along the route will be closed to vehicular traffic between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

“We are going to turn the western lane into the running course and the east-bound lane into a dual carriageway, so cars will be allowed to move up and down on the east bound lane,” he explained.

“We are looking forward to having a well-executed event and an event that our Jamaicans will be proud of,” he added.

Interested persons are required to register online at www.runningeventja.com or call Ricky Wisdom at (876) 967-4903 to request an entry form. There is no cost to participate.

The annual Road Race was initiated by the CARICOM Secretariat in 2005, in keeping with the designation of the United Nations International Year of Sports and Physical Education that year.

The event brings together professional and amateur athletes in the region in one single space to give voice to the positive influence of sports and physical education on the quality of life and in the promotion of peace and cooperation. Its overall intention is to promote a culture of healthy lifestyle.