JSMCR to start in Sam Sharpe Square as a symbolic gesture

WESTERN BUREAU:

As a symbolic gesture, the 10th staging of the Jill Stewart MoBay City Run (JSMRC), which coincides with the 45th anniversary of Montego Bay attaining city status, will start in Sam Sharpe Square and end at the nearby Harmony Beach Park.

The decision was confirmed by Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon while speaking at Tuesday’s official launch of the JSMCR at the S Hotel in Montego Bay.

Vernon further noted that while the start and end points for the 5K and 10K races are now settled, the exact routes are still being mapped out.

“We have to finalise the movement of the people around the space, but the decision is to have it starting in the core of the city, and the core is Sam Sharpe Square,” said Vernon. “Whether we will send them up towards Overton Plaza, or down to wherever else we want to send them, those are the specifics that we are working out, but the decision is that we are starting in the square and finishing at Harmony Beach Park.

“We are going to go up to Church Street, Dome Street, and Creek Street, but we have not yet worked out whether we are going in that other direction or in the reverse direction as yet, or how many streets we are going to run on to cover the 5k and the 10k.

“We are working on resolving that, but what we have settled on is that we are starting in the square and ending in the park.”

The event, the premier event of its type in western Jamaica, is set for May 3. The organisers are aiming to raise approximately J$10 million to provide scholarship support to students from five high schools and five tertiary institutions across western Jamaica.

The high schools slated to benefit are Cambridge High School and Herbert Morrison Technical High School in St James; Rusea’s High School in Hanover; Belmont Academy in Westmoreland; and Maggoty High School in St Elizabeth. The tertiary institutions are The University of the West Indies’ Western Campus, the University of Technology’s Western Campus, the Montego Bay Community College, the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, and the Caribbean Maritime University’s western campus, all in St James.

During the launch, Vernon told the attendees that this year’s staging of the JSMCR should serve as a symbolic gesture of restoration and resilience as it relates to Montego Bay’s growth and development as a city.

“As Montego Bay marks its 45th year of city status, we must decide what kind of city we will be. Will we be known only for our beaches, festivals, and hotels, or will we be known for our capacity to nurture every child, to rebuild institutions, and to stand together in crisis?” he asked. “The JSMCR answers that question: we are a city that invests in people, that measures success by the futures we secure for our children.

“Bringing the run into the city’s core is symbolic and strategic. When runners fill our central streets, the message is clear that education brings success to the heart of our city, and that it belongs at the heart of public life.

“The sight of thousands moving together through the city centre will be a powerful reminder that civic life is sustained by shared purpose.”

The JSMCR, formerly known only as the MoBay City Run, was launched in 2013 as a fundraiser to assist tertiary education students struggling to cover their tuition expenses and, to date, it has raised $45.5 million towards education. The run was renamed in 2024 in honour of the late Jill Stewart, the wife of Sandals Resorts International’s Executive Chairman Adam Stewart, who was a major contributor to the programme before her death in 2023.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com