Knutsford Blvd has never seen this many people at 6AM on a Sunday morning. Between the half marathon and the 5K, the first Kingston City Run had over 2,000 people registered to participate. From what I hear, the run was not heavily advertised, the organizers took a 'soft opening' approach. Wise idea for a first of its kind event.
Proceeds went to Open Arms Drop-in Centre, Marie Atkins Night Shelter, Food for the Poor and Missionaries of the Poor. I believe donations are still being accepted. Here is the link to their site. http://kingstoncityrun.com/
It was great to see the diverse group of people warming up and stretching for the 5K. All ages, shapes and sizes were out. I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by the crowd. It made me wish I had gotten up earlier to see the start of the half marathon. I would have loved to see the participants warming up for that race.
Photos from my cell phone camera.
Starting line
Youngsters....see how dem look fit. I made sure not to start near them, me nevah wan dem shame me.
The 5K race was great, I was very pleased with the pace I kept. I have been going to the gym since the start of this year and participating in the 5K was very inspiring. Hopefully by this time next year I will be able to enter as a runner in one of the events.
I didn't take any photos during the walk. I had a walking partner and we were focused on keeping a good pace, so no scenic photos. We walked along Trafalgar road, through the grounds of Devon House, across Lady Musgrave and back to New Kingston to finish at Emancipation Park.
The closing ceremonies were held at Emancipation Park. Awards were given for the various categories and of course since we were in Jamaica, there was music, dancing and food.
So of course I had to take advantage of the photo op. Nesta has such a calm sweet spirit. I let him know how much I appreciated all he was doing to keep our flag flying high. He accepted, but his demeanor was as 'oh its nothing really'. Nothing really.... Olympic gold medals with world record timing....yeah piece of cake.
The gentleman wearing the white t-shirt (Jason K) was over 200 lbs two years ago. His wife took a cell phone photo of him, he wasn't wearing a shirt and the image was a rude awakening. He decided, 'that's it, I have to do something about myself, I look terrible'.
He chose running as his path to health and fitness. When he started running, he couldn't run from the front of his house to the stop sign at the end of his street. He would run as far as he could and walk the rest of the way to the end of the block. Everyday he would run as far as he could and walk the rest of the way. Eventually he was able to run to the corner, around the block, and so on.
He kept at it and became an inspiration to his wife (wearing the pink shirt), and she started running too. Now they run 5k's, 10k's, and half marathon's. He also has two full marathon's under his belt.
They won a trip to Jamaica and two entries in the Kingston City Run. Runner's World magazine ran a contest, they entered online as often as the contest allowed and won. They had been to Jamaica twice before, and were thrilled to win the contest. Jason and his wife ran the half marathon. He had a joke and/or a word of encouragement for everyone he met.
Medals and prizes were awarded to competitors of the three races. Corporate sponsors donated some excellent prizes, I am sure the top performers are motivated to compete again next year. Prizes included flat screen TV's, stays at some of the luxury resorts across the island, gift baskets and spa treatments. If I knew I could win a weekend stay at Strawberry Hill, I would have ran faster. LOL, I was a walker in the 5K, so I couldn't win that prize, but there is always next year.
This gentleman won a flat screen TV, sponsored by Singer.
The official after party was held pool side at the Jamaica Pegasus. I think the timing of the party could have been better. The closing ceremonies finished up a little before 10AM. The after party was scheduled to start at noon. That worked fine for me because I was staying up the road from the Pegasus. But if I lived in Portmore or somewhere around town, after running the race, going home and returning to New Kingston probably wouldn't have happened. A Shower, followed by Sunday breakfast and that would have been it for me.
The other option would be to hang out in Emancipation Park for two hours (inna di sun hot) and wait for party time. That doesn't sound too appealing either, as a result, attendance at the after party wasn't great. Hopefully the organizers will come up with a better plan next year.
I spent Sunday afternoon at the Spanish Court. My cousin came to visit in the afternoon and then later in the evening a family friend and I hung out in the cafe.
Photos from the Spanish Court's cafe. The red couches are soooo comfortable. It is a great place to just sit and talk and enjoy the company of friend. In addition to the cakes pictured below, they have gourmet coffees, wine, beer, teas, salads and other snacks.
Sunday night was supposed to be a night on the town. Some of the group was leaving the following morning for a 5AM flight to NYC. The scheduled hotel pick-up time was 3:15 AM Those scheduled for the early flight suggested we hang out and then they would just shower and dress for their departure. Only two of us walked the 5K, so it seemed like the combination of the run and the hot sun at the poolside after party did them in.
The other lady that was staying at Spanish Court was part of the 3:15 crew. She was fearful of falling asleep, she hung out with us in the cafe for a while. Then when it seemed everyone else had flopped, she gave up and went to take a two hour nap.
I didn't do much the rest of the evening. My friend left and I went upstairs to pack for my Monday afternoon departure.
Monday...my last half day. The morning was filled with last minute packing, followed by a supermarket run for white rum and other snacks. Breakfast at the hotel, a quick hello-goodbye visit from my cousin and a couple errands on Knutsford blvd.
After my morning rush, our group went for a tour of the National Stadium. The stadium was busy with preparations for Boys and Girls Champs. I love the electricity Champs brings to Kingston. The vibe is incredible, anyone would think a big international track meet is in town. I didn't get to savor the fun this year, but I can always plan for a future tournament. 2013 was a good year to attend, I need to go check on the final count of records that were broken. I know it was in double digits.
Desmon Brown, Operations Manager of the National Stadium, our tour guide.
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I have been going to the gym since the start of this year and participating in the 5K was very inspiring. Hopefully by this time next year I will be able to enter as a runner in one of the events. 
He accepted, but his demeanor was as 'oh its nothing really'. Nothing really.... Olympic gold medals with world record timing....yeah piece of cake.
He decided, 'that's it, I have to do something about myself, I look terrible'.
Hopefully the organizers will come up with a better plan next year.
Those scheduled for the early flight suggested we hang out and then they would just shower and dress for their departure. Only two of us walked the 5K, so it seemed like the combination of the run and the hot sun at the poolside after party did them in.
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