UTech Alumni Run/Walk 5K Set for November 18
FORMER WORLD’S Fastest Man, Asafa Powell and 400 metres hurdler, Janieve Russell, have thrown their weight behind the University of Technology, Jamaica’s (UTech)Alumni Association’s third annual Run/Walk for Excellence 5K as patrons.
The event, which is slated for November 18, was formally launched on the campus of the Papine, St Andrew-based University, on Thursday.
Meet director, Allan Beckford, said that the set route will allow participants to journey along a pleasant course, starting from the UTech main gate; down Old Hope Road and on to Hope Boulevard, and then into Hope Gardens. They will then run back to the university, via Old Hope Road, ending on the playfield.
“It’s a very nice course, as its downhill, uphill and flat, therefore it has a little bit of everything,” Beckford disclosed.
Emergency medical assistance will be provided by SureTime Medical.
The meet director said the race starts at 7 a.m.; it will be chip-timed and the results available, after the event via the registration site: on :www.utechalumni.com The entry fee is $1,200 and $600 for students.
President of the Alumni Association, Ronald Sutherland, says the proceeds of the event will focus squarely on establishing a pool of funds for needy students, who are academically sound, but are unable to pursue their education due to financial constraints.
ENABLING BRILLIANCE
“At the top of the line, is our seriousness about trying to prevent sparks of brilliance [from] going dim, because they don’t have the financial resources to fund their studies,” he said.
Vice president of the association and chair of the launch event, Sharon Smith, said that access to financing is far more limited for students today than in former years, pointing out that during her years at UTech most students received grants to attend. Her remarks were supported by alumnus Ryan Parkes, chief of business banking at one of the meet’s major sponsors, JN Bank. Parkes emphasised that at this juncture in the country’s development, poverty should not be an excuse for qualified students not benefiting from a university education.
“We should be doing all that we can, to ensure that tertiary education is available to all Jamaicans no matter their class or creed,” he stated.
Among the sponsors for the UTech Alumni Association’s Third Annual Run/Walk for Excellence 5K are Puma, Television Jamaica, Tropical Blue, SureTime Medical, JN Bank and JN General Insurance Company.