Tafari Waldron and Nyla Kerr sprang into a celebratory mood Saturday (October 10) by taking the men’s and women’s divisions of the Scotiabank Wellness 5K Series at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain.
Both athletes had few challengers to worry about following their recent return from the Bafasports Xtra Foods Cares 5K at the same venue on Republic Day (September 24). Waldron continued his strong run of form by powering to victory in 17 minutes and 28 seconds, though it was much slower than the 15 minutes and 20.5 seconds he posted two weeks ago.
Kerr also produced a slower time on a day when scorching hot conditions took a heavy toll on the runners. She crossed the finish line in 19 minutes and 6 seconds—still strong enough to hold off competitor Alexia John, who stormed home in 19 minutes and 28 seconds to finish as the second-fastest female and fifth overall.
Kerr breezed home in 18 minutes and 14.4 seconds to take the Xtra Foods event. April Francis also maintained her consistent form, completing the podium in 20 minutes and 30 seconds.
Reflecting on her performance, Kerr admitted she felt a bit out of sorts in the morning, but was pleased with the outcome.
"I feel good about the event; it was a different course, but I also enjoyed it along the way. My time was decent; it was a good thing because I was out of it this morning, but I'm glad I still came in under sub-20. I honestly feel good supporting it.
"It feels good, and it touched a part of me that I never thought about. My future is to compete in the Olympics and in other 5Ks."
In the men’s division, Adam Montano claimed the silver medal in 17 minutes and 42 seconds, while Renoki Abbott rounded out the top three with a time of 18 minutes and 22 seconds.
Waldron, who has proven to be a cut above the rest of the local runners, said he also enjoyed the experience, but this time a later start at 7 am instead of the cooler 6 am start accounted for the dip in his time.
“It was good; this is my first time doing the Scotiabank 5K. It was a different course as well, nothing that I was used to, so it was (1:07) a little unique; it was good, and I enjoyed it. My time, I think, was decent. I ran to win the race, and it had some stiff competition this morning, so I was running at a decent time to make sure I could secure the win.”
According to Waldron, “It was a good time. I'm satisfied with the time. It's always a pleasure because I understand the importance of it, health and stuff. My next event is this afternoon, but I do plan on coming back to this event next year; it was good. One thing I would like is for it to start a little earlier, before the sun comes up.”
Some 3,500 runners and walkers took to the start line in an overwhelming display of support for Scotiabank’s commitment to community health and wellness, giving participants an opportunity to support a worthy cause while enjoying the event.
Results
Men: 1 Tafari Waldron 17.28, 2 Adam Montano 17.42, 3 Renoki Abbott 18.22, 4 Rajiv Bhimsingh 20.5, 5 Christian Hunte 20.46.
Women: 1 Nyla Kerr 19.06, 2 Alexia John 19.8, 3 April Francis 20.30, 4 Akeila Skeete 21.24, 5 Adrianna Garcia 23.13.
