SPORTS: The Jamaica Star
Maldon High students (from left) 13-year old, Neisha Geddies, second place female 5K Run winner, 16-year-old Tracey-Ann Vernon, female 5K run winner and 16-year-old Shania Fraser, second place 10K Run winner pose with their award at the 10th staging of the Jill Stewart Mobay City Run at Harmony Beach Park on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Montego Bay, now celebrating 45 years of city status, came alive as over 9,000 participants laced up for the successful event, transforming the streets into a vibrant celebration of recovery, music, and unity.
As early as 4:30 a.m., runners and walkers gathered at Harmony Beach Park, fuelling what has become the largest run/walk event in western Jamaica.
Tracey-Ann Vernon, the 5K female winner from Maldon High School who represented Barrett Immigration, outlasted her teammate 13-year old Neisha Geddies, winning the event in 23:09. Geddies took second place, ahead of Jahmellia Allen, in 24:37. Allen clocked 24:39.
“I feel like I am on cloud nine right now, it was so great,” said Vernon.
"I pushed through with all the support people were giving, despite my shoes burning my feet when coming back,” added Vernon.
Maldon were sponsored by Barrett Immigration who also donated two 50-inch televisions to assist the school with recovery.
“Despite being a small team, the students delivered an outstanding performance, securing top prizes and commanding attention throughout the event. It was evident from start to finish that they knew exactly what they were about, and they executed with confidence, discipline, and intention,” said Nordia BarrettLewis of Barrett Immigration.
In the 5K run for men Garfield Gordon of UCT Steppas successfully defended the title he won last year, albeit his time of 15:59 was slower that the 15:34 he ran then. Royale Gordon, also of UCT Steppas, finished second in 16:34, while Jahvon Williams was third in 16:44.
In the 10K run category, Kemar Leslie of Rainforest Caribbean and Dandie Williams of Pacers Running Club emerged the toast of Sunday’s event, running away with the coveted male and female titles.
Thirty-two-year Williams, was quite impressive in taking the female title, clocking 45:05, 16-year-old Shania Fraser ran a distant 54:39 to take second place; while Jana Novikova was a mere footstep behind Fraser, taking third place in 54:40.
“It is always an amazing feeling to win the races whenever I go out to compete. I went with a minset of doing a personal best time and I was able to accomplish that,” said Williams, who runs five days per week.
“I train really hard and it is something I love to do. The bonus of winning is always a plus, said Williams, who enjoyed the route.
For 16-year-old Fraser, despite feeling dizzy owing to the heat towards the end of the run, pushed herself all the way.
“When the race started, it wasn't so hot. O the way back, however, it got hotter. It was a great feeling for me and my teammates who were winners. I want to thank my coach for his role in believing in us,” said Fraser.
The 38-year-old Leslie, who finished second behind Kamar Thomas in last year’s staging, turned the tables this time around, running away with the event in 34 minutes and five seconds. Thomas was second in 36:04, Winston Dehaney took third place in 36:34.
“I felt good regaining my title in this event after losing last year. I came with my mind made up and it was to win,” said Leslie.
“The mindset was to get rid of the competiton early and that’s what I did. From about two kilometres I stepped on the gas and opened a gap, and from there I knew I had the race under my belt,” added Leslie.
The Corporate title again went to RIU Resorts Jamaica with over 2500 participants in honour of their 25th anniversary operating in Jamaica.
To cap off an unforgettable morning, the Run Fete afterrace celebration brought pure energy with live performances from local artistes Ding Dong and Christopher Martin. The vibrant media personality Khadine ‘Miss Kitty, Wilkinson kept the vibes alive from start to finish.
Running this year under the theme, Run For Recovery, Run for Education, the 2026 proceeds from Sunday’s
MoBay City Run will go towards six high schools and four tertiary institutions as they move to recover from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa
