GRAB a bottle of Catherine Peak’s water, get rehydrated with Hi-Lyte then cool down with a cold Red Stripe Light beer. All this will happen at the 13th staging of the now world renown Reggae Marathon set for December 7 in Negril.

The stellar weekend, which includes the Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K events, has seen an increase in registration of 43 per cent over this same period last year, it was announced at the launch yesterday at the Altamont Court Hotel.

Meet director Alfred Francis said this year will see some improvements, including disposable timing chips attached to the runners’ bibs.

Francis also spoke of the impact this event has in bringing tourist to the western end of the island.

“Red Stripe Light has been a focal point in Reggae Marathon for years. Persons just love to have a cool down with nice cold Red Stripe. People just walk straight into the sea after they are finished and I could see thousands with Red Stripe in the water. The fact that Red Stripe is a Jamaican product that we are extremely proud of and marathons globally are sponsored by beer companies and cool beer is a good rehydration fluid after,” said Francis.

“We have our own Red Stripe, our own Hi-Lyte and Catherine Peak’s water, so we have put together these fine Jamaica products to make Reggae Marathon so special,” he added.

Red Stripe brand manager Erin Mitchell was also on hand at the launch, sipping away at one of the Light beers.

“Of course there is always responsible drinking and as long as you drink responsibly, it’s not an unhealthy product at all,” noted Mitchell.

“After the marathon you will want to have a good time, you want to party and have a good time in Jamaica and we are happy to be a part of the celebration aspect of it,” she added.

Local based Hi-Lyte will be on hand during and after the race to provide energy to the participants.

Hy-Lyte brand manager Julette Fox-Hoshang said this is the third year they are on board as the official hydration drink.

“We have teamed up with the various running events and if course Reggae Marathon is the highlight of the end of the year. We provide hydration through our sports pack, what Jamaicans called bag juice,” said Fox-Hoshang.

Meanwhile, Francis noted that there has been an increase in road racing to promote healthy lifestyle and a part from the strong Jamaican contingent, participants from 12 other countries are expected.

Those confirmed include Black Girls Run — the largest group with 144 runners and 41 supporters with other teams coming from Canada, the USA, and Europe.