Francis pleased with Reggae Marathon changes

Alfred Francis, organiser of the Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K, which was recently staged in Negril, is pleased with the turnout of participants, with 2,646 competitors featuring in the event.

Francis pointed to the event's growth and contribution to economic development, as well as its impact on the tourism industry.

"The turnout was good, comparable to last year. We had almost a 50-50 split between International and local runners. The runners from overseas brought their friends and family with them, so part of our mission where economic impact is concerned, it's mission fulfilled. I'm thankful we could do something to contribute to our national growth," said Francis.

Francis pointed out that the decision to stage the run on Sunday was to give the participants in the business community a more relaxed setting, which he is confident will make the race bigger and better going forward.

LESS TRAFFIC ON SUNDAYS

"I think the change from Saturday to Sunday was good. We found that a lot of persons would work on a Friday. They wouldn't be rested enough to maximise their full physical ability in the race. Therefore, I think that being able to come down more relaxed has worked out better," said Francis.

"We are trying to least inconvenience the persons on the road here. From 2001 to 2018, we have seen significant changes where the whole commerce in Negril is concerned with the increase in traffic on the road on Saturdays.

"We did our evaluation and realised that on Sundays, there are less persons. There came a time when we have to open the road to facilitate persons wanting to go to work, and so on. However, the marathoners had a challenge because they were on the road longer. Hence we moved it to Sunday, which has worked well."