Police Progressive Youth Club’s Rural Constable, Royston Fordyce ran away with the Aquatic Starz Shine ‘Fun Run’ 5k title yesterday when the race got underway in the Diamond/Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.
In the second year of the event, Fordyce, 26, stopped the clock at 16 minutes, 11 seconds and 14 milliseconds (16.11.14), 55 seconds slower than last year’s winner, Winston Messingher who did not participate in the ‘sunrise’ race.
Fordyce, in only his second year back on the track, won his maiden 5k race ahead of his 27-year-old club mate, Jonathan Fagundes who finished in a time of 16.54.93.
Fordyce had trailed though out the race and opted to pounce on the leaders just 100 meters from the ribbon.
He told Stabroek Sport that it was all about timing and related that the race went according to plan but was more competitive than he expected.
Had it not been for a delay of one hour at the start of the event, Fagundes would have been out of the race. He explained that he had rushed home from work and only got two hours of sleep and as he hurried to the race, when he got there it was about to start.
Fagundes led the pack of 108 competitors, all of whom completed the event until the final 500 metres where he related that his legs began to give out.
Cordell Charles, who won the 11-16-year category last year, finished third in a time of 17.00.56.
Meanwhile, in the senior female category, Aliyah Moore stormed to the finish line in 21.13.78, ahead of Carifta gold medalist swimmer, Alika Persaud by 28.10 seconds while Carla Benjamin secured the third spot five seconds after Persaud.
The Under-10 boy and girl finishers were Jonathan Lewis (23.30.03) and Megan Scott (30.58.18) respectively whereas Kennard Hartog (17.03.06) won the boys 11-18 category and Byonce Depeazer (30.58.18) won the female 11-18 age group.
Larry Josiah took the accolade in the sub masters category for a time of 17.41.39 as 56-year-old Gary Hartog completed the event in 17.24.56 to win the male masters division. Sancha Halley won the female masters, finishing in 41.06.68.
Gavin Greene (21.37.28) and Tamar Charles (24.54.93) won the male and female 19-35 categories respectively as Dolphin Swimming Club was awarded as the best club.
Kerry Scott, CEO of Aquatic Starz and coordinator of the event, thanked sponsors, Beharry Limited, Oasis Water and Viva Water for coming on board for the event while pledging a bigger turn out next year.
Scott told this daily that it was a clash in events that saw most of the prominent athletes opting not to participate unlike the inaugural year but was content with the vast turn out of the public including wheelchair-bound athletes, Uttamkumar Issurdeen and Vlyssess Edwards and children as young as four years old.
