Many participants in the WATA/Nuttall Memorial Hospital Pre-Mother’s Day 5K Road Race entered with hopes of coming first, while others were just there to support the cause. But the young runners gave an impressive performance at the event, sweeping the top four places in the male run category.

Runners and walkers of all ages took to the streets of Kingston at 7:00 sharp on Saturday, May 11 and 17 minutes and 22 seconds later 16 year old Garfield Gordon from Mavis Bank Track Club came running across the finish line to take the champion position.

Right behind him were his teammates Romaine Morrison and Oshane Walker who came in one second a part, followed by Kemar Leslie in fourth place. Soon after, another teammate Odane Davis came in to take sixth place, making long strides across the finish line to catch up with his partners. But the boys were not the only ones that shone as 14-year-old Latrice McGann came in second in the female section.

Gordon, a student of the Mavis Bank High School, pointed out that he has been running for about ten months and has competed in about eight competitions thus far, of which he has won three. He says he runs on the hills of Mavis Bank for 45 minutes, two days per week. The youngster is currently preparing for an event in Bahamas in June.

For 18-year-old Romaine Morrison, training is intense, according to the youngster. “Training is rough because I have to [do a lot of hard work running up and down the hills], then I come on the flat and do some sprint work to build up my fitness. Now, the hill is like flat to me [because] I’m used to it,” he said.

Morrison also pointed out that eating right and consistent training is critical to staying fit and to giving a good performance.

“I eat right and train hard, I have to eat my fruits and drink a lot of water. We train early in the morning and then we have an evening session, but sometimes it’s just the evening session alone,” said Walker.

Latrice McGann was proud of her win, coming in behind seasoned runner Karlene Blagrove. She described the run as challenging but relied on her determination to pull her through. “It’s kind of hard but I pushed myself,” she said.

Garfield Gordon is currently preparing for an event in the Bahamas. The WATA/Nuttall Memorial Hospital Pre-Mothers’ Day 5K Road Race and Health Fair successfully took place on Saturday, May 11 on the grounds of the Nuttall hospital. Proceeds from the race have been earmarked for the refurbishment of the Gunter Wing and the Intensive Care Unit at the Hospital.

Sixteen-year-old Garfield Gordon of the Mavis Bank Track Club and student at Mavis Bank High School runs across the finish line to take first place at the WATA/Nuttall Memorial Hospital’s Pre Mothers’ Day 5K Road Race. The 5K Road Race took place on Saturday, May 11 at the Nuttall Memorial Hospital with all proceeds going towards fundraising efforts to improve the hospital.