Thu | Jan 2, 2025

Large turnout expected for CB-UWI 5k

Published:Sunday | November 19, 2023 | 12:12 AMRaymond Graham - Gleaner Writer
Contributed Young participants in last year’s Smart Eggs Kids 1K, now the Run with Passion Kids K, at the CB Group UWI 5K, pose with Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton and Asafa Powell before the start of their race.
Contributed
Contributed Young participants in last year’s Smart Eggs Kids 1K, now the Run with Passion Kids K, at the CB Group UWI 5K, pose with Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton and Asafa Powell before the start of their race.

A LARGE turnout is expected at today’s CB/UWI 5K set to get under way at 6:30 a.m. at the University of the West Indies with the start at Queensway, near the Assembly Hall.

The event, which started in 2012, has attracted a large number of entrants over the years with this year’s tally already over 5,000.

The event is a fundraising one for the UWI Scholarship fund, which provides assistance to needy students. Through the partnership with the CB Group, the 5K scholarships has benefited more than 100 students.

As usual, a local sporting icon is honoured at the meet and at this year’s event, former Sunshine Girls player and then coach, Connie Francis, will be the honouree.

Chairperson of the meet, Elizabeth Buchanan-Hinds, at the launch of the event last month, called it a ‘distinct pleasure’ to honour Francis.

“We are obliged to recognise the great Connie Francis and acknowledge her years of consistent excellence as a player and coach. Through her dedication, Jamaica’s deserved reputation as a global power in netball, and the sporting arena generally, shall continue,” said Buchanan-Hinds.

The defending male champion is Ethian Gioko, who covered the course in 15 minutes, 23 seconds, while Shanoya Smith, who did it in 29 minutes, 37 seconds, was the female champion.

Veteran Dwayne Graham out of Highgate, St Mary, winner of last Sunday’s Portmore Burger King 5K, will be hoping for back-to-back successes.

However, this time around, he will have his hands full with Kingston College and Jamaica College, who are expected to unleash their full contingent of African middle and long-distance runners, who have begun to prepare for the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships early next year.

The young ones will not be left out of this year’s staging as the former Smart Eggs Kiddies K, now the Run with Passion Kids K, will see children under 11 participating in a one-kilometre event.