ALFRED “Frano” Francis, race director of Reggae Marathon, says anticipation is high for this weekend’s staging of the event which will return to its usual in-person competition in Negril.

The Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K has been held virtually over the past two years due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Overver 600 persons flew down to Jamaica to compete on the Reggae Marathon course in Negril virtually.

Francis told the Jamaica Observer that with the decrease in COVID-19 cases globally, his organisation is very happy that the event will be returning to normalcy this year.

“The aim of this year’s Reggae Marathon is to return the Reggae Marathon to its full glory and niceness,” said Francis. “We have had two years of dormancy where we only had virtual events so it is really to return to the engaging, embracing culture, physical culture, and every aspect that have made Reggae Marathon a world-renowned event,” he added.

“We want to get rid of the scepticism [regarding] COVID-19 and allow persons to come and enjoy themselves without any fears and just come to Negril and have a funtime,” Francis expressed.

He shared that he is expecting a massive turnout at this year’s event because a lot of persons from overseas have expressed their interest in competinge in the championships.

“Reggae Marathon is a destination marathon, and this year we hope to have visitors from over 30 countries and renewed partnerships with many of our Reggae Marathon ambassadors who [have] flown the flag of the Reggae Marathon both locally and internationally,” Francis said.

— Robert Bailey