Canadian runners make a return to Jamaica’s Reggae Marathon

On Sunday, after a two-year absence, the sunny western coast of Jamacia welcomed back 1,000 runners from more than 20 different countries at the 2022 Reggae Marathon in Negril.

The race attracts local talent and recreational distance runners from Canada, the U.S.A. and the U.K. to end their running seasons in style, plus on a beach somewhere. The race’s location in Negril boasts beautiful white sand beaches, a flat and fast course, and of course, reggae music.

Sunday’s marathon, half-marathon and 10K races got underway at 5:15 a.m., which meant a 4 a.m. wake-up call for most.

For the Byers family of Calgary, the race was pure convenience, as they were down in Negril to celebrate their parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. “The race was just down the road from where we were staying,” says Brett Byers. “Since my wife, Lindsay, and I train all year round, we said, why not?”

Lindsay Byers, 40, won the half-marathon in 1:44:45, collecting a few hundred dollars in prize money. “There aren’t any longer races in Calgary this time of year, so it was a nice test of fitness,” said Lindsay. “Before having kids, Brett and I wanted to travel and race. It’s amazing we got the opportunity to run here.”

Although Lindsay was 12 minutes off her PB of 1:32, she was happy to get the win and see her sister Jenny and brother Chad run the 10K.

Jamaica’s Kemar Leslie and Rosamund Ponder of the U.K. emerged as the winners of the Reggae Marathon. Leslie posted a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes and three seconds to win the top prize, and Ponder, who also won the event in 2019, defended her reggae title in 3:15 flat.

Shawn Kehoe of Toronto’s BlackToe Running Club finished fourth overall (3:04:07).

Check here for full results.