Guyana to host first leg of South America 10K race

General Secretary of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Claude Blackmore also announced at the launching that the second leg will held on October 30 in Paramaribo, Suriname and the final leg will be contested in Panama. According to Blackmore so far only Trinidad & Tobago has confirmed participation in the event.

However, the former president of the AAG expressed confidence that Brazil will attend the meet along with Suriname and other members of South America and the North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) block countries.

Blackmore stated that for this year’s event there will be an enhanced security arrangement that will be headed by Commissioner of Police Henry Greene and Assistant Commissioner George Vyphuis.

He revealed that talks are ongoing to ascertain the legal ramifications of having the competition route closed for one hour.

He said this is to prevent persons from impeding the athletes trek through the streets of Georgetown all the way up to Conversation Tree on Rupert Craig Highway. This practice by onlookers has been a regular humbug but systems will be put in place to curb it.

One of the plans being considered is for police vans to round up onlookers’ bicycles and then let them retrieve them at the police stations. However, nothing is certain at this time.

Blackmore pointed out that all other systems are in place for Guyana’s successful hosting of the event.

He specified that some US$22,000 will be spent to host the event with US$15,000 coming from the world governing body. Monies will cover accommodation of athletes, prizes and other miscellaneous expenses that come with hosting the event.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Cleveland Forde and Brazil’s Sueli Vieira stormed to victory in the male and female open international categories of the first stage of the seventh annual South American 10K Road Race Classic last year.

Forde, who has been undefeated in the leg for the past three years, completed the course in a time of 33:27.3s ahead of Brazil’s Eliesio (33:40.5s), Trinidad and Tobago’s Richard Jones (33:41.6s) and Guyana’s Lionel D’Andrade (34:03.2s) and Dennis Horatio (34:09.3s).

Vieira dominated the female category with a time of 38:20.6s, beating Guyana’s top female long distance runner Alika Morgan, who clocked  40:23.6s, into second place.

Jevina Straker, Janella Jonas and Rayana Williams topped the female 16-18 years category with times of 42:44.0s, 44:09.0s and 47:44.0s respectively while Chavez Sital, Jonathon Fagundes and Natheniel Giddings registered 35:28.4s, 36:25.9s and 37:58.6s respectively in the male category.