Published:Thursday | May 8, 2025 | 12:59 AM Ashley Anguin/Gleaner Writer

A FATHER with his two-year-old son in his arms walking a marathon was always going to catch eyes.

According to Reality White, the act of walking the five kilometres of the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run on Sunday at the Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, with Amir in his arms, was about sharing precious moments and not about the shutter clicks.

White, a lab technician at the University of Technology, Western Campus, who was participating for the second time, said walking with his son in his arms was worth the difficulty it posed.

“What made this experience so special to me was sharing the experience with my son. Doing it with my son added a whole new layer to the day. I had to walk with him in my hand the entire time, which made it tougher, but it was also really special,” White told The Gleaner.

“I knew it would be challenging, but I knew it would have been worth it in the end. The experience was amazing, the atmosphere, the people and just being a part of something positive made it all worth it,” White said, after clocking 51 minutes,.05 seconds in the 5K walk male category.

The ninth staging of the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run had a record-breaking turnout, with more than 6,000 participants in attendance.

According to White, the experience for little Amir was enjoyable.

“He was excited, curious and full of smiles most of the way. However, when the race was finished, that was where the real excitement started for him, as he was running up and down the park having so much fun.” White, who finished 1,249th out of 2,260 males, said.

Acknowledging the importance of taking part in the event, White said he wanted his son to have a full-on experience.

“I wanted to show my son the value of participating in community events. It felt good to be part of something bigger, while also making memories. My reason for doing the event was to stay active and support a good cause. I would most definitely encourage others to do what I did.”

The Jill Stewart MoBay City Run was established specifically to raise funds to support struggling university students hungry to fulfil their aspirations of attaining tertiary level education.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20250508/dad-shares-5k-walk-two-year-old-son?state=#slideshow-1

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.

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