Trelawny Infirmary to benefit from JN Foundation Run/Walk

This year's staging of the Jamaica National (JN) Foundation Heroes in Act!on Run/Walk will take place with the aim of benefiting the Trelawny Infirmary in Falmouth.

This year's staging takes place on October 15 and starts at the Falmouth Pier with a warm-up at 6:30 a.m. before the race at 7 o'clock.

Race marshal Alfred 'Franno' Francis said that this year's race will not only give participants the option of walking or running, but also choices between a 4K and 10K distance. He added that the course has been improved this year to lift the safety of competitors.

"Your Worship (Trelawny Mayor Councillor Collin Gager) and the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) have provided escort and control for the past two runnings," Francis said. "This year, we will have an additional set of marshals whom I consider my elite marshals.

"We will have a special set of volunteers from JN and we are also going to use cones, especially on the highway. We will cone the soft shoulder and we'll have our marshals there to escort and control, along with the JCF to ensure the continued safety of our participants. I say continued because we have had the run two years with no negative incidents."

Francis said that ambulances and medical personnel will be what he describes as "strategically placed" along the route, but he asked competitors to properly prepare themselves ahead of the race to prevent any emergencies.

The JN Foundation will be partnering with the Usain Bolt (UB) Foundation, as Trelawny is Bolt's parish of birth. The Usain Bolt Foundation CEO Winsome Wilkins said that the Trelawny Infirmary should be a world-class facility for its residents.

A WONDERFUL EVENT

Partnership and development manager at the JN Foundation, Onyka Barrett-Scott, said that they are partnering with the infirmary this year because they recognise the importance to take care of the needs of Jamaica's elders, whom she said have "paved the way for many of the nation's successes."

JN Foundation general manager Saffrey Brown is expecting the number of participants to continue to increase this year.

"We think it's important that we continue to support rural development," she told The Gleaner. "We're looking for 3,000 runners this year. First year we had 1,000, second year we had 2,000, so we're happy to grow at about a thousand. We wouldn't want the run to get too big because it takes away from the overall experience. It's a really wonderful event. You want to ensure that the numbers continue to support the environment, which is a really wonderful historical town."

Brown said that although 100 per cent of funds raised will go towards the charity, the organisers have not set a specific target in mind. However, she said that the aim is just to create an event where participants can enjoy themselves and whatever is raised from it goes to a good cause.