Jus Vibes blazes trail in Disney 2024 Marathon
RUNNING TO where you want to go is one thing. But keeping up the pace in this ‘slow and steady wins the race’ era acts as a reminder that in those weak moments, you are strong. Among her team of 876 runners, Dr Keri-Ann Patterson waved the Jamaican flag and crossed the finish line after running a 26.2-mile marathon held at the happiest place on earth, Disney.
“There’s a thing in longdistance running that after you run yourself through the wire and push yourself through whatever major race, once you’re coming down from the high of completion, you’re left wondering; what’s next? After the Reggae Marathon in 2022, Disney in 2024 was next,” Dr Patterson told Lifestyle.
For the better part of the journey, Dr Patterson, an active member of the Jus Vibes running team, explained that it was easy to forget that you were actually running a race.
“There were Disney characters live at each mile for you to take photos. There was Disney music all around, bright lights and entertainment. What I also really appreciated was all the support from all the visitors to the parks that day. In that sea of thousands of people, our tiny group from Jamaica waved our flag high and screamed our names, giving us that extra boost we needed along the way,” she revealed.
The team members of the recently formed running group were already familiar with each other from doing crossfit at Gym Fitness876. They all shared one collective desire in mind: to improve on running.
What started out as a New Year’s resolution for a few, quickly grew to the group beginning its training sessions with Kimberly Calder from Pool Aerobics with Kim.
“Kim, who has been running for many years and has done multiple similar races, decided to take us under her wing, because she knew how gruelling this training could be. She really took us from nothing to something, guiding us through every single detail of the process and making it as simple as possible for us,” she said.
The intense routine leading up to the big day included weekly speed training, distance training, mobility, training in hydration, nutrition and electrolyte replacement, breathing exercises, rest, as well as addressing endurance, form and technique. Most of all, it was important that they had fun during these preparations.
As part of the longdistance training, they ran as many 5Ks and half-marathons as possible, “Running Events has many runs throughout the year; so once it was possible as a group to get them done, we registered. For a few of us, however, this was our first marathon, and it was our first marathon as a group,” Dr Patterson added.
The good doctor loved the exhilarating experience of the Disney marathon, which left her in a state of euphoria. “Because we got the opportunity to run through each of the parks, all of the cast members were there to greet you along the way, and you got a glimpse of all the attractions and rides. There were a total of 12,694 people who were able to finish the run. Every one of us were finishers, and we all finished strong. So, we are immensely proud!” Happy to represent Jamaica on an international platform, Dr Patterson was particularly pleased by the support.
“The nation needs some good news, and I find nothing really unites us quite like sports and athletics. Thousands of people all over the world registered for this run, and even though our group was so tiny, we wanted to make sure Jamaica was seen there. That black, green and gold radiated! And the crowd loved it! People from multiple other countries knew our flag and shouted, ‘Let’s go, Jamaica!” she shared.
According to Dr Patterson, working under the premise of training and running with what feels right, is what makes the group the powerful movement it is today, “We’ve already begun looking at other runs around the world, but [there are] no concrete plans yet. Sometimes we don’t have a plan of exact distance or time or location in mind, it’s Jus Vibes!”