Published:Tuesday | May 6, 2025 | 10:15 AM Ashley Anguin/Gleaner Writer
AN OVERWHELMED Ray Simpson choked up in tears when asked about the record-breaking turnout at the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run, named after his beloved daughter and wife of tourism mogul Adam Stewart, on Sunday.
Initially, an emotional Simpson was reticent about commenting on the event, which would force him to face the fact his daughter was no longer alive, but found the strength to offer thanks to the more than 7,000 participants who hit the streets for the event at the Harmony Beach Park.
“Jilly, my daughter, would be so happy to see all the people who came out. This was her joy, and I know her legacy will continue to carry on in Montego Bay with this run,” he said.
“I want to thank everybody for turning out, and I miss her so much,” he offered, conceding that his emotions would get the best of him if he continued speaking.
His son-in-law and Caribbean hotel icon Adam Stewart picked up, underscoring how important the run was to his late wife.
“I’m just completely overwhelmed. When you look out at the sea of people, the support from all over Jamaica, as far as Kingston, Portland; people from the Cayman Islands, Canada, England who flew in specifically for the event. I have a huge sense of gratitude,” he said.
“My wife was a trained educator and a teacher, she represented the community, and the cause is for education and all things health and fitness. Last year we had over 4,000 and this year, word of mouth is that this year we have over 7,000; so next year, let’s aim for 10,000.”
Garfield Gordon, winner of the male 5k run, originally a native of St Thomas, a parish on the other end of the island, travelled from Portmore to run. Even after two years’ absence from the race, he said he believed from the start that the race was his.
“I’ve been doing some long running. I train six days a week, and I have been doing some marathon training for a few months. So I knew I was in the best shape to come out here and win,” he said.
Meanwhile, 10k male winner Kamar Thomas travelled to Jamaica from the US for the first time in order to participate in the run. Like 10k winner Tonya Busse, he was overjoyed with his triumph.
Corporate winners were RIU Resorts Jamaica,with more than 1,000 participants registering. Second place was Sandals/Beaches Resorts with over 800 and third, Rainforest with close to 300 participants.
“It is a race that I always wanted to run, and coming to Jamaica and running it for the first time and winning, it is really an awesome feeling,” offered an elated Thomas.
“For this race, I knew that I had to run my personal best to win, based on the other competitors, so I just prepared myself to run my personal best and it paid off.”
“I really enjoyed it. It was a nice course, nice views of the ocean, where you can jump right in after you finish. I suffered a little bit when I was getting tired at the end, but it was not too bad. It was a good energy, good vibe,” outlined Busse, a teacher from Kingston.
‘Why I Run’ was the theme this year for the ninth staging of the run, which aimed at highlighting the deeply personal reasons people decide on pushing through the pain of a 5k or a 10k.
Once an avid participant in the race, Jill Stewart died from liposarcoma in 2023, and the run was rebranded in her honour.
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20250506/jilly-my-daughter-would-be-so-happy
