ORGANISERS of next year’s staging of the Sagicor Sigma Legacy Run said they are hoping to raise a record $75 million from the event which will be held on February 12, 2023.

The event, which will be in its 25th staging, will have the paediatric unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts as its beneficiaries. This year’s event raised $52 million to procure medical equipment for the Kingston Public Hospital.

The event will be returning to a full in-person run for the first time in two years, after being conducted virtutally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multiple World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and former 100m record holder Asafa Powell will be patrons of the event. Both also served as patrons of the meet in 2013 and 2016, respectively.

President and chief executive officer for Sagicor Group, Christopher Zacca is urging Jamaicans at home and abroad to come out and support the event because every single dollar that is raised at the event will go to both worthwhile charities.

“Over the last 25 years Sigma Run, through the charitable donations of our supporters, sponsors, donors, corporate Jamaica, and participants, has raised over $550 million dollars for numerous charities — primarily in the health and education sectors,” said Zacca during Tuesday’s launch of the event at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.

“Because of this legacy run, hundreds of thousands of lives have been positively impacted across the island. From east to west, institutions across the island can say they have benefited from this charity,” he said.

“These two institutions play a very important role in our society, and I take this opportunity to appeal to corporate Jamaica, and individuals at home and in the Diaspora to support, participate, and donate to the cause in whatever way you can. I know that together we can raise the $75 million dollars, and even exceed it for the benefit of the UHWI and the Edna Manley College,” Zacca added.

Fraser-Pryce said that she is very delighted to be associated with the event and is looking forward to another successful staging.

“I am honoured. Sagicor has been there for myself and my Pocket Rocket Foundation for years, and to be able to join them for a second time around to help to raise $75 million is truly an honour,” said Fraser-Pryce.

“Their title this year is the Legacy Run, and it is fitting because for me, I want to leave a legacy of impacting students and athletes, and they are impacting the lives of Jamaicans overall — and I am happy to be a part of that journey with them,” she added.

Fraser-Pryce took the opportunity to urge Jamaicans to support the event.

“I want to say to Jamaicans that you don’t have to physically be here because you can physically donate or you can come and you can have some fun. You can run, you can walk, you can ‘wheel’, as you will be donating to a worthy cause,” Fraser-Pryce implored.

Registration for the event is now open.

— Robert Bailey