News Releases

UWI to hold Half-Marathon Award Ceremony

For Release Upon Receipt - November 23, 2010

St. Augustine


After two attempts, Kenyan Simon Sawe finally copped first-place glory, winning the 2010 UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC) International Half-Marathon on Sunday 31 October at the UWI St Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago. Last year, Sawe was bested by compatriot Alfonsi Yatich. The two Kenyans have dominated the race for the last three years.

But 2010 may also be the year of Richard Jones, whose PR in the Chicago Marathon in October was followed by second PR in the UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon last weekend. Jones finished third in St Augustine, a mere two seconds behind Yatich, while another Trinidadian Denzel Ramirez ran a solid race and finished fourth.

A new women’s champion was also crowned when Russian Firaya Zhadanova crossed the line. Venezuela’s Yeisy Alvarez took second place ahead of top TT female runner Shermin Lasaldo and Paulette Lucess, granddaughter of veteran distance runner Lynette “Granny” Lucess.

The prize-giving ceremony for the UWI SPEC Half-Marathon will take place on November 24, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the UWI SPEC, St Augustine. The race which took place on Sunday 31st October, is one of the most highly anticipated events on the local athletic calendar, and it is the only traffic-free race in the region. This year, George Bovell III shot the starting pistol to begin the race at 6 a.m. sharp  with Junior World 400m hurdle champion Jehue Gordon and Commonwealth Games 2010 Paralympic athlete Shanntol Ince on hand at the start line to cheer the 1000-plus local, regional and international competitors on.

The local race has recently drawn praise for maintaining pristine international standards. It is electronically timed, AIMS-certified (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) and IAAF-accredited (International Amateur Athletics Federation), which means that any records broken will be recognised worldwide.

Since its inception in 2004, the race has grown tremendously. Over 1,000 local, regional and international athletes competed in the 2010 race, including athletes in specific categories for University students, UWI staff and physically challenged competitors. The National Amateur Athletic Association (NAAA) recognises the UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon as its official half-marathon championship.

For full race results, click http://www.odesseytiming.com.

To download photos of the UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon, click http://www.flickr.com/photos/theuwi/collections/72157622102695777/. For more information, visit the official race website at www.uwi.tt/spec/marathon/ or contact The UWI SPEC at (868) 662-2002 Ext. 3771, 2660, 3556 or 3571 or specinfo@sta.uwi.edu.

 

For the latest UWI News, click http://sta.uwi.edu/news.

About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

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