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JAAA president urges families to resume healthy lifestyles

Published:Saturday | May 14, 2022 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Garth Gayle.
Garth Gayle.

Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president, Garth Gayle, says the Everyone’s A Winner-Best Dressed Chicken 5K and 3K races which take place at the Hope Botanical Gardens on Father’s Day, June 19, will serve as encouragement to families to resume healthy lifestyles following the indolence caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, organised by Running Events, will include a brunch for participating fathers and will present medals to the first 2,000 runners to cross the finish line.

“This is an important event. I encourage Jamaicans to come out and support it. COVID-19 forced people to stay indoors and limited their physical activities. So come walk, run, even crawl but come out and participate and bring the family.

“It is wonderful and everyone is a winner in this beautiful event, which encourages the entire family to live a healthy lifestyle.

“What more can one say, give yourself a healthy body and more opportunities to enjoy life,” Gayle said at a press briefing at Hope Gardens on Wednesday.

Lorraine Kemble, Best Dressed Chicken’s brand manager, noted that mothers get all the attention while fathers are not shown the same appreciation and they wanted to shift the focus to the fathers this year.

“We thought it would be a novel idea to have something that would include the family, so why not a Father’s Day race.

“People generally focus on mothers on Mother’s Day and we wanted something that recognised the fathers, so we thought of Father’s Day because it gets the family out,” she said. “Fathers can sit and have a brunch with their children, so it is a day to celebrate and bond and facilitate healthy lifestyle through nutrition.”

NAMED IN HIS HONOUR

Meanwhile, race director Alfred Francis announced that veteran road racer Roy Thomas, who turns 95 on May 21, will have the team trophy named in his honour.

“I do not think he will be able to come physically but he has been an inspiration to the running community for more than 40 years and the team trophy will be the Roy Thomas Trophy,” he stated

The winners of the 5K and 3K, male and female, will receive awards while the Hope Zoo will have special prizes for children.

Warm-up and warm-down will be conducted by Express Fitness. Participants can register online at runningeventsja.com with a sum of $2,000. Registration closes on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. There is no race day registration.

Like Gayle, Francis said he is hoping the event will inspire families to come and get back into shape after the COVID-19 shutdown.

“This year we implemented a 3K because a lot of persons have turned couch potatoes and we wanted something that was achievable for mother, father and son. And we have the 5K for those who are more physically endowed,” Francis commented.

Netball Americas president Marva Bernard said it is good to have road racing back. “We missed the road races. So we must get up off our couches and show up,” she stated.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com