“The activity is one of the parallel events of the upcoming 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, to be convened under the chairmanship of the Hon. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada.”
Wednesday 12 June 2024 (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown): Professional and amateur athletes from the Caribbean will compete in the Seventeenth CARICOM Road Races, scheduled for Saturday 6 July in Grenada.
The activity is one of the parallel events of the upcoming 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, to be convened under the chairmanship of the Hon. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada.
“The Road Races form part of CARICOM’s mandate to promote healthy habits and the consumption of nutritious food to combat the stark increase in persons with non-communicable diseases or NCDs,” stated Davion Leslie, Programme Manager, Human Resource Development, CARICOM Secretariat. “We are urging participants and supporters of the CARICOM Road Races to use the platform to advocate for a healthier Caribbean through active lifestyles and regular exercise”.
The Elite 10K, Open 10K, and Youth 1.7K races will start at Camerhogne Park in Grand Anse. The first-place winner of the 10K Race will receive USD 1000, while the second and third-place winners will receive USD 800 and USD 500, respectively. Athletes participating in the 10K Race will also compete for the CARICOM Chairman’s Trophy – Male and the CARICOM Secretary-General’s Trophy – Female.
In 2023, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago claimed top prizes at the 16th CARICOM Road Races-10k. Guyanese Attoya Harvey claimed first prize in the Overall Female category and the CARICOM Secretary-General’s Trophy, while Samantha Shikla from Trinidad and Tobago and Laura Lynn Limery from Saint Lucia, won second and third prizes, respectively.
Trinidad and Tobago dominated the top three positions in the Overall Male category, with popular athlete Nicholas Romany winning the CARICOM Chairman’s Trophy and Donnel Francis and Tafari Waldron capturing the second and third prizes, respectively.
Editor’s Notes:
- The Road Races promote camaraderie among professional and amateur athletes in the Region and help to underscore the positive influence of sport and physical education on quality of life. The overall intention is to encourage a culture of healthy habits and consumption of nutritious food.
- All events are open to male and female professional and amateur athletes who are nationals of CARICOM Member States and Associate Members.
- The athlete registration form and route maps are available here and on the CARICOM website (https://caricom.org/roadraces2024)
- The first CARICOM 10K was held in 2005 to commemorate the United Nations International Year of Sport and Physical Education.
- The CARICOM Secretariat and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Grenada are coordinating the events.
Reducing Non-communicable Diseases or NCDs
In May 2023, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) warned that hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) is the number one risk factor for illness and premature death from cardiovascular disease and one of the most common NCDs in the Region.
CARPHA highlighted that the non-Latin Caribbean has the greatest mortality rate from cardiovascular disease, estimated at 418 per 100,000 inhabitants. The agency referred to a study that examined 10-year mortality trends in 20 English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries, which found that cardiovascular disease accounted for most deaths, estimated at between 13–25 percent, with Montserrat, Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago having the highest percentages.
The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has advised that regular exercise and nutritious food are crucial to reducing the surge in NCDs. This message will be a critical component of the Road Races as CARICOM continues its advocacy for better health outcomes for all Caribbean Nationals.