Kingston, Jamaica…September 2005 – The Jamdammers Grand Prix Series has forged a new partnership with the Ministry of Health and will now be known as the “Jamdammers & the No Violence One Love Grand Prix Series”.

The series consists of four races leading up to the Reggae Marathon and Half-Marathon events to be held in Negril on December 03, 2005 and is popularly referred to as the “Road to Reggae Marathon” series.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health “The cost of violence to our Health Care System and the society at large has been significant and requires urgent and consistent attention. The Health Promotion and Protection Division (HPPD) of the Ministry of Health has identified violence prevention as a critical component of the National Policy for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles in Jamaica.”

The statement further added, “apart from the obvious benefits on physical health and fitness, sports has consistently been shown to promote responsible social behaviours and to provide valuable lessons relating to teamwork, self-discipline, self-esteem and handling competitive/conflict situations. These life skills are critical to violence prevention efforts. The Ministry of Health is proud to partner with the Jamdammers Grand Prix Series to promote healthy lifestyles, in particular violence prevention methods, through the vehicle of sports and promote “no violence one love”.

This, says Glendon Nam, President of Jamdammers Running Club of Kingston, “echoes our feeling at Jamdammers, which is why we have incorporated the slogan “put down the gun come out and run” as part of this year’s promotion.

The first in the four race series, the Puma 5K, took place on Sunday, September 25 with 2004 female and male Series Champions Natoya Goule and Wainard Talbert successfully beginning the defence of their titles.

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