SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2016 – UWI TODAY
9
CAMPUS NEWS
On SundayOctober 23
at the sound of the starters’ pistol,
thirteen hundred runners are expected to set off on the
13.1 mile journey for the 13th edition of The University
of theWest Indies’ Sports and Physical Education Centre
(UWI SPEC) International Half-Marathon.
Online registration for the race was formally
launched on August 13 and will continue till October 7.
As is tradition, on-the-spot registration can also be done
at the following First Citizens branches: Scarborough,
West Court, Independence Square, Arima, Chaguanas
and San Fernando.
UWI SPEC and Race Director, Major David
Benjamin indicated that of the 1,300 spaces for
participants this year, 100 spaces are reserved for students
from13 Secondary Schools along the East-West corridor
to participate. “We hope to increase the pool of young
athletes between the ages of 15 to 19 participating in our
event andwe think this gesture will contribute to building
new runners and increase the youth participation in the
half-marathon,” he expressed.
First Citizens is once again the presenting sponsor
for the International Half-Marathon, a partnership that
has been in place since the inception of the event. Mr.
Jason Julien, Deputy CEO of Business Generation at
First Citizens, said the financial institution is pleased to
once again be the main sponsor and indicated that for
them, it is an important initiative. “For us the UWI/SPEC
International Half-Marathon is not just an event on the
calendar, but something we believe in investing in, as part
of our efforts to encourage everyone in our community,
the nation as a whole and the Caribbean to take part and
challenge themselves in a special way,” he said.
The race is once again recognised and sanctioned by
the National Association of Athletics Administrations of
Trinidad and Tobago (NAAA-TT) and $150,000 in cash
and gift prizes are up for grabs. Additionally, this year
will feature a challenge for local athletes as there will be
incentive-based prizes for the first local male athlete that
breaks the 1hour, 10 minutes mark and the first female
athlete that breaks the 1 hour, 17minutes and 30 seconds
barrier. Last year’s Top 5 male and female champs are
expected to defend their titles.This includes Richer Pérez
Cobas (Cuba), Kenneth Rotich (Kenya), Kirk Brown
(Jamaica), Pedro Espinoza-Perez (Mexico), Rupert
Green (Jamaica), Caroline Kiptoo (Kenya), Tonya Jacinta
Nero (Trinidad), Yailen Garcia (Cuba), Celine Lestrade
(Trinidad), April Francis (Trinidad). Participants of this
year’s race can also run for a cause, as the Half-Marathon
will partner with the Diabetes Association of Trinidad
& Tobago (DATT) to raise awareness and funds for the
organisation.
Registration can be done online at
edu/spec/marathon/register.php
and takes place from
August 13-October 7, 2016. Registrants will require
a credit card or international debit card to make
registration payments online. If interested persons do
not have either option, a race registration code can be
purchased at the First Citizens branches listed above.
Package collection for participants will take place
from October 5 - October 18, 2016 at UWI SPEC from
9.00am - 5.00pm on weekdays and 9:00am – 1:00 pm on
weekends. Additional race updates and announcements
will be made over the next 13 days. For further queries,
please contact
UWI SPEC at (868) 645-9239 or (868)
662-2002 ext. 83771, 82660, 83556 or 83571 or e-mail
.
Lucky 13th for
UWI/SPEC
International
Half-Marathon
His Excellency Mitsuhiko Okada, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is presented with a coffee table book on the history of
The UWI while visiting Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland.
LookWho VisitedThe UWI
All Ears: Professor Copeland (c) and Dr Michael Sutherland Deputy Dean, Undergraduate Affairs - Geomatics Engineering & Land Management, are
attentively listening to US Ambassador Estrada (l) during his campus meet and greet.
Professor Copeland
(r) greets Opuemele
Denz (l), the Charge
d Affaires at the
Embassy of the
Republic of Suriname,
at the start of a
courtesy call on the
Campus Principal.
