ST JAMES, Jamaica — In a powerful display of community resilience and tribute to a beloved local figure, thousands of participants gathered along Howard Cooke Boulevard on Thursday morning for the annual event named in honor of Jill Stewart, the late wife of Sandals Group Executive Chairman Adam Stewart. This year’s gathering marked one of the largest turnouts in the event’s history, even coming just months after Hurricane Melissa left widespread destruction across the parish.
Aston Stewart, Jill and Adam Stewart’s son, was unable to compete in the run segment of the event this year due to a persistent, nagging knee injury. Even so, he joined the crowd by walking the full route alongside his father, sharing his joy at the event’s ongoing growth. “It’s great, very nice to see all the people that came and how it’s growing every year, we really appreciate it,” Aston told Jamaica’s Observer Online. “It really is a lot of fun, it’s good. It’s awesome to see it grow every year and I would definitely encourage more young people to join up.”
By the day before the event, registration numbers had already hit 9,500, with total attendees on the route surpassing 10,000, Adam Stewart told reporters. That marks a substantial jump from 2023, when the event drew 7,000 registered participants and roughly 10,000 total attendees. For Stewart, the massive turnout this year carries extra meaning, coming on the heels of the hurricane’s destructive impact on the region.
“Coming off the back of Hurricane Melissa, this is just a testimony that nothing can break us in Montego Bay or Jamaica,” Stewart said.
Jill Stewart, a trained educator, passed away in 2023 after a courageous multi-year battle with cancer. The annual event was created to honor her legacy, which centers on her two core passions: improving public health and expanding educational opportunity for Jamaicans. Stewart said the outpouring of community support for the gathering has left his entire family feeling humbled and grateful.
“The family and I are just overwhelmed by the love and the support, and her legacy continues to be inspiring to people through health and academics. She was a trained teacher, and those were her two passions and loves,” Stewart explained. “It’s overwhelming, I’ve never seen so many people on the road at one time.”
Stewart also extended public gratitude to all stakeholders who made the 2024 event possible, including lead organizer Janet Silvera and her full event team, the municipal government of Montego Bay, Mayor Richard Vernon, local law enforcement, and every volunteer and participant who turned out to carry forward Jill Stewart’s mission. Before her passing, Jill Stewart made headlines when she publicly celebrated her husband’s receipt of the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander, a national honor recognizing Adam Stewart’s decades of outstanding service to Jamaica’s tourism and hospitality sector.