CARICOM 10K races off Sunday morning

Long distance runners from  across the CARICOM Region will compete in the annual CARICOM 10-K Road race in Saint Lucia, on Sunday 30 June 2019.  The race takes place ahead of the Fortieth  Regular Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government, scheduled for the 3rd- 5th of July, 2019 at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Hotel.

The 10-K, in male and female categories, will begin at Rodney Bay and culminate at the park across from the Castries Waterfront. There will be an accompanying 5-k as well as a 1-K  for the special guests who will be in St. Lucia for the Heads of Government Meeting.

First place winners in the 10k male and female categories will each receive an enviable 1000 USD, second place will win 800, and third place 500. Additionally, the senior male first place winner will receive the CARICOM Chairman’s Trophy, while the female champion will be awarded the CARICOM Secretary-General’s Trophy. The sponsors for the event are the St. Lucia National Lotteries Authority and Blue Waters.

Last year, Jamaica won the top two places in the men’s leg of the Race in Montego Bay. Dwayne Graham won in a time of 34:15 and Oshane Archibald placed second with a time 34:19. Vincentian, Junior Ashton got the third spot in 35:54 while his fellow country-man and former event winner Pamenos Ballantyne, placed 4th in 37:40.

Vincentian Athlete Linda McDowald, copped her 2nd title in the women’s leg of the event with a winning time of 39:50.  This was slightly slower than her 37:57 run for her first title in 2016 in Guyana. Second place went to Grenadian Kenisha Pascal who crossed the finish line in 40:21 while 3rd place went to Carlie Pipe of Barbados in 46:12.

This year’s event promises to be equally exciting with Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Anguilla registered to participate.