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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

Published:Tuesday | May 6, 2025 | 10:12 AM Adrian Frater/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Seasoned road racer Kamar Thomas, with a time of 33 minutes 38 seconds, and Tonya Busse, who clocked 45:04, were the toast of yesterday’s ninth staging of the Jill Stewart Montego Bay City Run, copping the male and female 10K titles in the event which unfolded in the streets of the western city.

Thomas finished ahead of Kemar Leslie and Marvin Hamilton, who were second and third with times of 33:45 and 36:37, respectively. Meanwhile, Lesa Powell and Shiela Pinto, with times of 54:58 and 56:24, took second and third, respectively, behind Busse.

In the 5K run, Garfield Gordon, with a time of 15:34, took the male section ahead of Brandon Kerr (17:17) and Carl Whyte (18:08). Jodian Walker was the top female, clocking 23:04, to relegate Annmarie Briscoe-Healy (23:21) and Jerolee Spence (23:40) into second and third place, respectively.

In the 5K walk, which attracted the largest number of participants, Ryan Robinson was the top male finisher, clocking 24:40, which placed him ahead of Tavaris Atherly (25:44) and Marlon Edwards (25:53). Rushell Campbell took the female section with a time of 26:31, which placed her in front of Kayla Stewart (26:35) and Denise Smith-Fortland (26:51).

With well over 6,000 runners and walkers showing up for the event, it had more than a generous sprinkling of celebrity as Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness; National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang; Minister of Legal and Constitution Affair Marlene Malahoo Forte; Urban Development Corporation (UDC) Chairman Norman Brown; and Executive Chairman of Sandals Resort International Adam Stewart were among the participants.

‘GOOD RACE’
Holness, who showed good running form along the course, which spanned the Harmony Park in downtown Montego Bay to the Yacht Club in the Freeport area, on the outskirts of the city, was thrilled with both his performance and the support the event attracted.

“I feel good, it was a good race; I think I am improving in my time, I have kind of dedicated time for training and exercise, so I am doing a little bit better,” said Holness, with his medal of participation dangling around his neck.

Janet Silvera, who conceptualised the run, formerly known as the Montego Bay City Run, came close to tears as she expressed her appreciation for the overwhelming support the event, which has generated over $30.5 million in scholarship support for needy students pursuing tertiary education, has gotten since its inception nine years ago.

“This morning when I saw the first runner coming in, I almost cried, having worked so hard to get to where we are today,” said Silvera, who was particularly thrilled to have the prime minister among the participants.” We have been inviting the prime minister for a long time. We wanted him to come, and finally he is here, and we feel special about it.”

The event, which was managed by renowned road race coordinator Alfred ‘Franno’ Francis, went off without a hitch as participants began showing up from as early as 4 a.m. By the time the warm-up segment, which started at 5:15 a.m. began, the Harmony Park facility was jam-packed with participants dancing and stretching themselves into readiness to take on the road.

Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, who served as a marshal for the event, was overjoyed with the level of support and heaped praise on the participants and the various sponsors, who provided prizes alongside food, refreshment and giveaways.

“Today is a great day for Montego Bay and I am really pleased about it ... . I believe this is the highest number of participants we have ever had, it is well over 6,000,” said Vernon. “They are running for a cause ... they are running for education, and perhaps more importantly, they are running for their well-being, they are running for their health.”

Stewart, the husband of the late Jill Stewart, was overwhelmed by the occasion, which attracted participants from as far away as the United States and Canada.

“I am humbled and appreciative of the love and support I am seeing here today, this is something that Jill would love ... she was keen on keeping fit and she was about education,” said Stewart, as he reflected on his late wife’s involvement in the event, which is now a stable on the local sporting calender.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20250505/thomas-busse-top-jill-stewart-mobay-city-run-10k#slideshow-3