Mandeville, Manchester — Belair Preparatory and Mt St Joseph Preparatory emerged the top schools in a recent Kiddies Marathon staged for Child’s Month.

Belair was named as the overall awardee in both the 1.5K and 5K categories.

Mt St Joseph Preparatory took the title in the 2.5K.

The competition, which targets preparatory and primary schools, started last year as an initiative of Mt St Joseph Preparatory principal, Jem Stanley.

She said it was a way to encourage long distance running at an early age and in general promote a healthy lifestyle among children.

The individual female and male top achievers in the 1.5K came from Ebenezer Primary and West Indies College Preparatory.

Representatives from Ebenezer Primary and Mt St Joseph Preparatory copped the top spots for the 2.5K.

Competitors from Knox Junior School and Belair Preparatory walked away with the top prizes in the 5K category.

The event was hosted on the grounds of Mt St Joseph Preparatory on Manchester Road in Mandeville.

Stanley noted that the preparation that students put into getting ready for the marathon and staying the course on the day of competition is also an important lesson in “character building.”

— Alicia Sutherland