Burger King Jamaica hosted its highly anticipated 5K and relay at Emancipation Park on Sunday. The annual event, which is geared towards supporting youth sport and community development, is one way the company has chosen to reinvest in Jamaica.

Burger King Jamaica board Chairman Richard Lake explained, “It is a core avenue through which Burger King gives back to the community and shows appreciation, but it’s also a great training ground for Champs coming up for the students, and we really appreciate the effort they put into it.”

This 19th staging of the company’s 5k run-walk saw the running team from Jamaica College winning the $400,000 big finish prize for schools for having the most students who finished the race in the fastest time. Student representatives from Holmwood Technical High, St Jago High, St.Elizabeth Technical High, Alphansus Davis High, and Kingston College also walked away with their share of the more than $1 million in cash and prizes. And The Cadet Academy had the most finishers in the fastest time among this year’s corporate entity participants.

Meanwhile, World Under-20 champion and National Under-20 record holder Alana Reid, who served as the event’s ambassador, motivating teams and individual entrants ahead of the race, shared, “I am happy to know that Burger King is using the event to motivate young athletes and also give them an opportunity to stay fit. Their season is about to begin, with a number of track meets coming up, and of course, they have the Boys’ and Girls’ Championships coming up. So this is the beginning that will motivate them. It’s a learning experience for a lot of them.”

She also encouraged other corporate entities to try to invest more in student athletes because, “some of them really need the help and sometimes when they don’t get the help they quit the sport, and they lose focus [in school].”

The company reiterated that it hopes the event will remain a staple on Jamaica’s athletics calendars, providing a platform for up-and-coming athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike.

This year’s 5K and relay was sponsored by Rainforest Caribbean, Running Events Jamaica, TruShake, IntraNET Solutions, First Global Bank, Wata, SoccerExpress,
CVM TV and SunCity Radio.