Shawn Pitter returned to capture the top male runner spot at the CB Group UWI 5K Run/Walk yesterday, which ended at the Mona Bowl.

With this victory, Pitter retained his title from the inaugural 2012 staging. Rushaun Johnson was impressive but only managed to take second place, while Demarley Johnson came in a close third.

In the female section, Arieta Martin finally clinched top spot as the veteran competitor improved on previous placements to emerge as this year’s winner. Chante Roberts despite a stellar performance could only manage second place.

In the Walk category for males, Keino Ewan crossed the line first to secure the title.

In the female Walk section, Karlene Blagrove won ahead of Paula Sinclair, with Latoya Walker in third.

Sheldon Cox beat out Marcus Banton to lift the Wheelchair sectional title for the second year running. Coleen White had a similar victory over Cherry White in the female equivalent.

Chair of the organising committee and executive director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Elizabeth Buchanan-Hinds, said “the atmosphere was just terrific”.

“The people all came out to support and they were happy and had a great time. We can’t ask for much more than that, especially with the official registration numbers improving from last year’s mark,” she said.

There was a divergence along the route which made the race shorter than the slated 5K.

Mike Fennell, president of the Jamaica Olympic Association, said: “It is absolutely wonderful. Apart from the turnout is the level of fellowship and camaraderie that takes place.”

Patron of the event Olympic silver medallist Warren Weir applauded organisers for making the event more family-oriented than previous stagings.

“It was good to see the youngsters’ involvement, it shows the thinking of the organisers in making the event more family-friendly as more families turned out to this year’s event,” he said.

Weir and fellow Olympian Hansle Parchment ran alongside the children.

The CB Group UWI 5K Run/Walk initiative continues to drive toward improving student development as it provides an alternative means of generating much-needed income. The initiative was established to provide scholarships and assist the needs of tertiary students at the University of the West Indies.