GraceKennedy

The third annual staging of the GraceKennedy 5K Education Run attracted approximately 2,600 participants made up of runners, walkers and contestants in wheelchairs. They converged at the normally serene downtown Kingston waterfront on Sunday July 17, 2011, where they set off to compete in what is now one of the most popular event on the sporting calendar. 

Onlookers throughout the route cheered on the contestants as they made their way from the start line at GraceKennedy’s head office on Harbour Street. The route continued onto High Holborn Street, through Breezy Castle, right onto Port Royal Street, left onto Ocean Boulevard, left onto Royal Street, right onto Marcus Garvey Drive going onto Harbour Street, turning right onto High Holborn Street through Breezy Castle and finishing on Port Royal Street. 

Participants receive race instructions before the start of the 2011 GraceKennedy 5K Education Run. (click here to view photo album)

Emerging winners in the various categories were: in the Wheelchair Segment Female Category Coleen Morrison who finished in 28.20 minutes, followed by Maureen Saunders in 39.35 minutes and third place Sophia Johnson in 40.15 minutes. In the Wheelchair Male Category Tonto Campbell finished first in 23.07 minutes, followed by Esslong Plummer placing second in 55 minutes. 

Horace Burey copped first place in the Overall Male Open Run segment in 16.41 minutes, with Duen Morgan placing second  in 16:42 minutes, followed by Robin Rowe in third place in 16.46 minutes. In the Overall Female Open Run category, Karlene Blagrove placed first, finishing in 20:28 minutes; with Arieta Martin placing second  in 20:54 minutes; and Janetta Robinson placing third in 21.41 minutes. 

Horace Burey crosses the finnish line to take the Overall Male Open Run title at the 2011 GraceKennedy 5K Education Run. (click here to view photo album)

In the Male Overall Open Walk Daniel Barrett of Hardware and Lumber placed first in 28.11 minutes; second place went to Maxwell Smith from LIME who did it in 28.11 mins, and Kevin Walker of First Global Group took third place, clocking 30:17 minutes. The results for the Female Overall Open Walk saw  first place going to Annie Williams in 34:46 minutes; second place to Sharon F. Edwards in 34:58 minutes; and Jaceinth Williams of Fresh Start Jamaica in 34:59 minutes. 

In the Male Overall Corporate Run, first place went to, Kemar Douglas of UWI Mona in 19:57 minutes; second place to Michael Thompson of Hardware and Lumber in 20:23 minutes and David Rowe of Petcom in third place doing 20:43 minutes. In the category of Female Overall Corporate Run, first place went to, Carey-Anne Williams of Bank of Jamaica in 23:58 minutes; Jeneve Edwards of Dairy Industries took, second place in 25.10 minutes and third place was copped by Cherine Richards of UWI, Mona in 25:44 minutes. 

The winner in the Male Overall Corporate Walk was Daniel Barett of Hardware and Lumber in 28:11 minutes, with Andre McIntosh of J. Wray and Nephew placing second in 31:17 minutes and Wayne Miller of J. Wray and Nephew iplacing third in 31:34 minutes. The Female Overall Corporate Walk winner was first place – Jaceinth Williams of Fresh Start Jamaica in 34:59 minutes. 

In the Under 17 Male Overall Run Category - Dominic Powell of Bank of Jamaica emerged the winner making it to the finish line in 17.49 minutes; Jermaine James of Bank of Jamaica placed second in 18.56 minutes with Kimani Russell of First Global Group making it in third place in 20.57 minutes. In the Under 17 Female Overall Run - the winners were as follows: first place Gabrielle Hopkins of Advanced Integrated System in 28:45 minutes; Shinelle Waite of West Indies Home Contractors, second place in 30:43 minutes and Tashauna Grannom of GK Foods Central Limited - third in 30:51 minutes. 

Corporate Jamaica came out in support of GraceKenndy’s stout effort to continue funding tuition and related expenses for secondary and tertiary level students in Kingston’s inner city communities. The award for Best Overall Corporate Walk Team went to Hardware and Lumber Ltd. and the Best Overall Corporate Run Team went to Bank of Jamaica. 

According to Mark Anderson, Vice-Chairman of the Run Planning Committee: “The response to the Run was tremendous.” The Committee hopes to reach an intended target of $3,000,000.00. 

The GraceKennedy Education Run is staged in support of the educational programmes of the Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation. In addition to supporting the inner city community programmes, the 5K Education Run also aims to enhance efforts to position downtown Kingston as an attractive venue for events.