Showing a big commitment to road racing in Jamaica is the news that Burger King Jamaica is once again a major sponsor of the Grand Prix Series. This is a series of road races in Jamaica that begin in October culminating with Reggae Marathon December 7. Reggae Marathon Race Director ‘Frano’ spoke about the importance of Burger King’s involvement. Here is the full story:
Restaurant Associates Limited operators of Burger King Jamaica, has once again committed $2.8M in sponsorships towards the 2013 season of the Burger King / Reggae Marathon Grand Prix Road Race Series.
The first race in the series will be the Montego Bay 7K which is set to run-off on Sunday October 13th starting at 3:00 pm, followed by the Portmore 10K on Sunday November 10th which will begin at 7:00 am. The series culminates in Negril with the running of the Reggae Marathon 10K on Saturday December 7th starting at 5:15 am.
Competitors will be vying for over $1M in cash prizes, with the overall champion in the male and female category pocketing $40,000 each. Second place will receive $30,000, while third place will win $20,000. There has been an increase in the cash prize in the Champion School category for both the male and female divisions. First place will receive $60,000, second place $50,000, third place will get $40,000, fourth $30,000 and fifth $20,000.
In addition to the overall series champion, there are cash prizes for winners of the individual races. Ninety Thousand Dollars will be shared amongst the top five finishers with first place receiving $15,000, second place pocketing $12,000 and third to fifth will receive $9,000, $6,000 and $3,000 respectively.
The 4x1500M relay which was introduced last year during the Portmore leg of the series will again take centre stage. The race, which is run around the ring road adjacent to the Portmore Mall will see Holmwood Technical who ran away with both the male and female titles, aiming to defend their crown.
Race director for the series Alfred “Frano” Francis has high expectations for the event. “The 4x1500M relay is an exciting addition to an already exciting series and will provide an opportunity for coaches to use this event as strength training for their shorter distance athletes” Francis was quoted as saying.
“Our goal is to make long distance running an important part of Jamaica’s athletic programme and we believe that this series will aid in that development” he added.
Participating schools will have an extra incentive to compete in the relays this year as $90,000 will be up for grabs. The top five finishers will receive $15,000, $12,000, $9,000, $6,000 and $3,000 respectively.
Sabrena McDonald, Sales and Marketing Manager at Burger King revealed that the company has had a long history with long distance running. “Burger King’s association with road racing in Jamaica spans over a decade and our continued support of the grand prix series underscores our commitment to the development of the sport” said McDonald.
She also added that entry cost for the races in Montego Bay and Portmore are both free for participants and that Burger King uses the series as a vehicle to promote an active and healthy lifestyle programme to its consumers. “We have always encouraged our customers to adopt a well balanced lifestyle and removing entry fees from the first two races will encourage our customers to engage themselves in a friendly competition, which will ultimately lead to a healthier life” McDonald said.
Last year Grand Prix Series champions were Shawn Pitter in the male category and Tanice Barnett for the females.
Registration for the series closes on Thursday October 10th. The Grand Prix champion is determined by the athletes who have accumulated the most number of points over the series.
Until next time…
Reggae Marathon RunninGuy (aka Sugar ‘Tuff Gong’ Bong)
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Click here to register online for Reggae Marathon, December 7, 2013: Reggae Marathon Registration.
For more information check the Reggae Marathon Web Site.
Click here for more details on Reggae Marathon’s Abe Issa Award for Excellence.
This is a link to the Official Reggae Marathon 2012 Race Video.