Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
Courts 10k to bring real value home
By Edison Jefford
Courts, under the renowned banner of “Bringing Value Home”, will host the second edition of its resuscitated 10km Road Race on Sunday September 23, starting outside its Main Street Office, at 6am, according to Courts’ Marketing Assistant, Kester Abrams.
The race attracted the crème de le crème of distance running last year, competing for cash prizes, which rank second only to the IAAF South American 10km Road Race Classic; there is no doubt that those athletes will return this year, hoping to cash in again.
The winner in the Open male and female categories respectively will receive $100,000 each with second place taking home $80,000; third place $60,000; fourth $40,000 and fifth $20,000. In the Masters’ category, the winner gets $60,000; second $40,000 and third $20,000, while the Juniors pocket $60,000, $40,000, $30,000, $20,000 and $10,000 in the top five; trophies will accompany all the cash prizes.
The race has five seasoned competitive categories for athletes with the first male and first female Courts staff also getting a financial incentive of $20,000 each. The race will have a 3km ‘Fitness and Health Run’ that is open to staff and anyone willing to participate.
Abrams told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that they want to continue to improve the event that was a definite success last year. “We were very pleased with the turnout and support we got from those athletes who competed; as such, we think it’s a worthwhile event,” he said.
According to the Marketing Assistant, who is a former national junior long and triple jumper, the event is expected to grow since Courts is associated with annual growth. He said that the level of enthusiasm from all the relevant stakeholders is extraordinary.
Courts’ Management, including its Marketing department, will be pulling all stops to present one of the most competitive and attractive races on the 10km circuit. The race, which had been on the calendar before in the 1990s, was one of the best 10k races last year.
President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Colin Boyce expressed his delight with the efforts that are being made to help with the development of the sport in Guyana. He said he is pleased that Courts is seeing it fit to aspire to improving their event.
“I am grateful that Courts is continuing to show such interest in the development of the sport and athletes on the distance running circuit. I’m happy that this race is already promising to be a very prestigious race on the local calendar and that is good,” Boyce said.
The AAG President, who is credited with adding several new events to the association’s calendar since he took office, believes that the next big step for Courts in collaboration with the AAG will be to expand to race to have regional and international participation.
Last year, Guyana’s distance running ace, Cleveland Forde won the male race with United States based Euleen Josiah-Tanner winning the female version. Josiah-Tanner is already in Guyana and will be competing next Sunday. There will be much at stake in the event.
The race will start in front of Courts’ Main Street Branch, proceed north to the Seawall road, east along the Seawall road and continue east along Rupert Craig Highway’s northern carriageway to turn at Church Road on the Rupert Craig Highway.
It will then proceed on the Rupert Craig Highway’s southern carriageway into Kitty Public Road; south on Vlissengen Road; west on Lamaha Street, south on the eastern carriageway into Main Street, before turning around at the Cenotaph to finish on the western carriageway of Main Street in front of Courts.
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