December 8, 2024
Half Marathon, 10K & 5K Races

Reggae Marathon gets endorsement from The Heart Foundation of Jamaica

The Jamdammers received an endorsement from The Heart Foundation of Jamaica for staging the Reggae Marathon. Very cool. I especially love the line, “Run for your life”.

According to Deborah Chen, Executive Director of the Foundation, “We applaud the work of the Jamdammers; the continued growth of Reggae Marathon is a testament to their commitment to provide world-class road races and improving healthy lifestyle practices in Jamaica”.

The Foundation’s participation also brings attention to the benefits of a regular exercise programme in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and helping to prevent the onset of heart disease.  Chen added, “The Heart Foundation of Jamaica will continue to partner with the Jamdammers to promote the important message of exercise being a vital part of a healthy lifestyle.”

In an effort to become an example and “practice what we preach” The Heart Foundation of Jamaica has formed a team to enter the Reggae Marathon with fifteen members and counting. Look for them December 4 in Negril.

The team trains individually in the week and collectively on a Sunday with Steven Ming, lead trainer at Spartan Health Club. Members of the team will be raising funds towards an electrocardiogram machine (ECG machines) by soliciting pledges for their participation in the marathon.

As we all know, training for a marathon requires discipline and dedication. The Heart Foundation of Jamaica notes that aerobic exercise is the recommended type of exercise to strengthen the heart and lungs and improve the body’s ability to use oxygen.  Additionally exercise helps the body to produce endorphins in the brain, which provide a sense of well being. Over time, aerobic exercise can lead to a decrease in your heart rate and blood pressure and improvement in your breathing. Exercise also reduces the fat content in the body; this leads to a further decrease in the blood pressure, and in the diabetic patient helps to control blood sugar levels. Exercise helps to prevent and control five of the main risk factors for heart disease, namely hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol levels, inactivity and obesity.

The objective of the Foundation is to reduce the incidence of death from heart disease in Jamaica by prevention through education, early detection through screening programmes, and rehabilitation through education about healthy lifestyles. By entering a team in the Reggae Marathon, the Foundation hopes raise funds towards much needed medical equipment and generate awareness of the ease and necessity of including healthy habits such as exercise and proper nutrition, as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. Get more information from the Heart Foundation’s website: www.heartfoundation.org.jm

Until next time

that running guy

Full disclosure:  I run in the Reggae Marathon each year to raise funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario

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