For three consecutive editions of the CARICOM Chairman’s Cup Elite 10K, Barbadian distance runner Carlie Robinson has left the race with a podium placement – two third-place finishes and one runner-up spot to her name. This year, as the event kicks off Sunday in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, she is finally gunning for the top spot she has never claimed.
Robinson is not traveling to Saint Lucia alone: she will be joined by fellow Barbadian athlete Joshua Hunte, marking the country’s official two-person delegation to the elite race. Per event rules, each CARICOM member state sends one male and one female athlete to compete, creating a high-stakes showcase of the Caribbean’s top long-distance running talent.
In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, Robinson shared that the annual event has long been a highlight on her racing calendar, offering a rare chance to measure her skill against the most competitive runners across the region. “Historically, I’ve done really well in this race and I’ve always been on the podium, but I’ve never won yet,” she explained. “So this year, I really, really want to win this race and bring home the top position. When you get the top position, you get the Chairman’s Cup, and I really want to bring that home for Barbados.”
Even as she enters the race with clear title ambitions, Robinson acknowledges that the road to victory is far from guaranteed. The elite field draws top talent from across 15 CARICOM member states, making for one of the most competitive open distance races in the Caribbean each year. That said, the Barbadian runner enters this year’s competition in peak form, after months of consistent, focused training through the current racing season.
“ I’ve been working hard all season and I tend to put in a lot of consistent work, so I feel confident in myself,” she said. “I’m gonna try not to think about time, but I really want to run for position so I’m gonna approach the race in a strategic way. It’ll be an exciting way to approach it I think, and I’ll need to react based on what other people do, but I’m very confident going in. I think that I can at least be in a strong position to control the race, or most of it. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The CARICOM Chairman’s Cup Elite 10K serves as the flagship competitive race of the annual CARICOM Road Run/Walk, a community event held in conjunction with the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM. Launched back in 2005, the initiative was created to advance a key public health goal for the bloc: encouraging regular physical activity and promoting healthy lifestyles across the region as part of CARICOM’s coordinated campaign to combat rising rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Last year’s 2024 edition (correction: the 2025 iteration was hosted in Montego Bay, Jamaica), marking the ninth staging of the regional event.