Representatives of Tottori Marathon of Japan and the locally organised Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K have reached an agreement allowing the winner of each event to participate in other nation’s marathon beginning this year.

A meeting to finalise details of a Memorandum of Understanding was held recently in Negril between Alfred ‘Frano’ Francis, race director of Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K, and Shinichi Hamasaki of the Tottori Prefecture Assembly, chair of the Tottori–Jamaica Friendship Prefectural Assembly Members Alliance and chair of the Tottori Athletic Association and members of their respective executive committees.

“The plan is that the winner of the Tottori Marathon will participate in the Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K in December 2016, while the winner of Reggae Marathon 2016 will travel to Japan in March 2017 to run in the Tottori Marathon,” said ‘Frano’ Francis. The Tottori Marathon was held at the Tottori Sand Dunes Oasis Square, Japan, on March 13 this year.

The meeting between the two sporting bodies was part of a historic visit to Westmoreland by representatives of the Tottori Perfecture as a precursor to the signing of a separate agreement between that area in Japan and the Westmoreland Parish Council for co-operation in agriculture and tourism. In fact, Westmoreland is the first Caricom nation to sign such a collaboration with a prefecture in Japan.

Tottori hosted the Jamaica track & field team at training camps for the athletes to prepare for the World Championships in Osaka in 2007, and again leading up to the World Championships in Bejing in 2015.

Tottori Prefecture is situated in the north-eastern part of the Chugoku region of Japan. This prefecture is renowned for its scenery that changes from season to season. The area consists of a long coastline that stretches from east to west, with narrow flatlands and a mountainous area featuring the famous Mt Daisen.