A new women's champion will be crowned at the University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC) International Half Marathon tomorrow morning, starting at 5.30 am.
Last year's women's winner Tonya Nero yesterday confirmed that she will not be defending her title at the 15th edition of the race, which is being sponsored by First Citizens.
Nero, T&T's leading women's distance runner, who ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Ontario, Canada on the weekend, confirmed that she will not run the 13.1-mile course.
"I will not be in Trinidad and I ran a marathon last weekend," said Nero. "I'm recuperating now. Only training for now until I decide to run another race."
Meanwhile, Richer Cobas Perez, a Mexican-based Cuban, will be back to defend his title at the 15th edition of the event. Perez, who ran a new record time of 1:06.22, last year, will be going up against the Venezuelan pair of Pedro Mora and Didimo Sanchez, Kenya’s Jairus Chanchima and Guyana’s Kelvin Johnson.
Among the local men participating are Matthew Hagley, Curtis Cox, who finished fourth and fifth last year, Shirvan Baboolal, Anthony Phillip, George Smith, Richard Jones, Elvis Turner, Keanu Otero and Nicholas Romany.
In the women's category, T&T will be represented by Celine Lestrade, Sjaelan Evans, Samantha Shukla, Dominique Martineau, Zinara Lesley and Chantal Le Maitre.
St Martin’s Cecilia Mobuchon, who was the fourth-place finisher last year, will race as well as Colombia’s Raquel Agudelo, Venezuela’s Zuleima Amaya and Nubia Arpon and Kenya’s Purity Cheromei.
The race will begin at UWI SPEC in St Augustine, continue along the secured, traffic free, Priority Bus Route to the La Resource junction in D’Abadie, before doubling back to the UWI SPEC. The course will be complete with markers and water stops at every mile for the running convenience of the athletes from around the world including the Caribbean, USA, Latin America and Europe.
Some 1500 local, regional and international athletes will compete for over $150,000 in cash prizes and hampers, including specific categories for UWI students and staff, University Students and wheelchair as well as physically challenged competitors. Participants from as young as 15-19 age-group to 80 and over, prizes will be distributed in men's and women's categories ranging from TT$500 to TT$1000. The grand prize of Open International men's or women's takes home a grand total of US$2,000.
Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Shamfa Cudjoe, UWI chancellor Robert Bermudez and First Citizens Deputy CEO of Business Generation Jason Julien are also expected to compete in tomorrow’s race.
This year’s edition supports the cause of mental health and proceeds will be contributed to ChildLine and Lifeline. Relay teams of four persons were allowed to register to complete the 13.1-mile race, which will begin at 6.15 am.