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Rohan Marley to ’stir up’ Reggae Marathon

As plans are finalized for the ninth staging of the Reggae Marathon, the Half Marathon and the 10K race in Negril, on December 5, the Jamdammers Running Club of Kingston – the organizers of the event, has announced that Rohan Marley, son of the iconic Bob Marley, will be among the VIP participants.

Rohan Marley

An avid football player and entrepreneur, Rohan Marley, co-founder of the organically Blue Mountain grown “Marley Coffee”, will be joining participants from other countries as diverse as Brazil, South Africa and Finland, as they take to the course in what has become an eagerly anticipated event. His participation will be filmed for a television series to be aired on the travel channel in the USA and other internationally syndicated channels in 2010.

“This is good news not only for the Marathon event but also for Jamaica,” stated President of the Jamdammers Running Club, Tanya Miller. “Our trophies for the winners are named in honor of Bob and Rita Marley and the fact that a member of the Marley family will actually be participating this year, adds to the excitement of the race. Of course we also welcome the additional international television exposure which will be of immense value to the event as well as for Jamaica,” she added.

Race Director Alfred Francis is also pleased with the “continuing interest in Reggae Marathon, both from our own Jamaican, as well as overseas participants, despite the all around belt tightening because of the global recession.”

Francis said: “Staging the event each year continues to be a challenge and we thank all our faithful sponsors such as Digicel and Pan Caribbean for their continued support. At the same time we would welcome participation from other sponsors as well as additional governmental support.”

Your Ad Here He added, however, “people are still excited to come to Jamaica and they are being inspired to participate in Reggae Marathon for a variety of reasons, whether it is the need to travel, get fit or to honor someone who has been affected by a ‘life style’ disease.” He mentioned Jamaican-Canadian Chris Morales who has registered for the event and will be running in memory of his father. Chris also plans to raise $10,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association and has also inspired other members of his family to join him.

Other groups that have also registered include, “Sisters in Motion”, (whose goal is to “encourage adult African-American women of all ages to become physically active in a supportive and non-threatening environment through regular exercise”); The Canadian “Running Girlz”; “Joints in Motion” (the Arthritis Foundation of the USA Chapter); as well as the “Yellow Bird Runners,” (both of whom will be making their second visit to Jamaica for the marathon event).

These overseas groups and individuals, Francis said “will be joined in Negril by our own Jamaican charity partners, including the Heart Foundation of Jamaica; corporate teams; those who have competed in the Burger King–Jamdammers Grand Prix Series and hundreds of other individuals.”

Race activities begins on Thursday, December 3, with registration being conducted at the Swept Away Sports Complex, this will be followed by the Pasta Party and Village Bash on December 4. The Marathon event will begin at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, at the Long Bay Beach Park. The Finish Line Victory Party and awards ceremony will be held after the race on Negril’s West.

Source: TrackAlert

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