Early morning run for the 35th High Mountain Coffee 10K

The High Mountain Coffee Road Race is set to host its 35th staging on Sunday in Williamsfield, Manchester.

John O. Minott, chairman of the High Mountain Coffee Road Race Committee, has announced that this edition of the popular race will be a morning run for the first time in the history of the races. All races will begin at 6:30 a.m.

The race will also be using electronic (chip) timing technology, which will enhance the results from the races. Participants will now be able to receive accurate results as soon as they finish the race. This will also allow the prize giving ceremony to start and finish earlier than in previous years.

The direct beneficiaries of the event will be local citizens as proceeds will go towards the purchase of supplies for the dialysis unit at the Mandeville Regional Hospital as well as a year-long education programme about kidney disease: control and prevention. To date, the race has contributed close to $5 million, and this year, the intention is to raise no less than $1 million for this worthy cause, and the organisers have called on the businesses community in Central Jamaica to support the event. Persons who are not able to participate directly in the races have been encouraged to make a contribution to the High Mountain Coffee Road Race Wellness Fund at Scotiabank, Mandeville, Account # 644311.

The 10K run will begin at the Williamsfield round-a-bout that is closer to the Jerk Centre. Runners will run along the main road through the district of Content past the Windalco plant (now Rusal) past the Pickapeppa Factory in Shooters Hill, up through Kendal, past the Police Station back on to Winston Jones Highway and down the hill. The route has been basically reversed with the exception that it will end at the old Williamsfield roundabout and not the one on the Winston Jones Highway.

The prize purse now stands at $370,000 in cash and prizes, with $30,000 each to the male and female 10K winners. The school prizes remain at $40,000 for male and female 10K winners – a total of $80,000.