Deb Thomas will be back in Negril December 2 for Reggae Marathon.  And this year it’s Deb’s 50th birthday and she plans to celebrate in style:

I was born in Jamaica, grew up in Upstate New York but now call Cambridge, Massachusetts my home.   I’ve been running since I was a senior in High School. I really wasn’t serious or passionate about running until my freshman year in college when I would run mornings before class. I had on my bucket list to at least complete 1 Boston Marathon. I ran my first marathon, the Boston Marathon in 1997 and was driven to continue running long distance.

I started running for fitness but quickly realized that running was also therapeutic. Running energizes me and helps to keep me calm and grounded in the face of any adversity. Simply put: running distance makes me happy.

I first heard about Reggae Marathon back in 2002 while riding the T in Boston (That’s what we call our Subway). There was a guy with a Carib Cement bag that had a Jamaica Marathon logo. I struck up a conversation because I wanted to know more about this Marathon in the land of my birth. I Googled it, found the information and immediately registered for the Reggae Marathon. Since 2002 when I ran my first full marathon at Reggae Marathon, I’ve  completed 5 full Reggae Marathons before I switched to the Half Marathon in 2012.

I love Reggae Marathon because of the camaraderie amongst all the great runners/friends I’ve met every December in Negril; The destination and atmosphere at the start, during and after the race!

This December I’m coming to Jamaica for Reggae Marathon with a large group of friends.  I’m running of course but this year is extra special because I’ll be celebrating my 50th birthday.

Deb, we’re looking forward to seeing you once again in Negril.  We’ll look out for you and your friends and family on the beach!  Thanks for sharing.