The 10th edition of the Jill Stewart Mobay City Run, a beloved community running event renamed to honor the late wife of Sandals Resorts International Executive Chairman Adam Stewart, concluded successfully on Sunday in Montego Bay, St. James, drawing more than 10,000 participants from across Jamaica and around the world to Howard Cooke Boulevard.
In the competitive 5K races, local athlete Garfield Gordon crossed the finish line first in the men’s division with a time under 16 minutes, while Tracy-Ann Vernon claimed the women’s 5K crown in just under 24 minutes. For event founder and chair Janet Silvera, the overwhelming turnout far exceeded even her most optimistic projections, bringing an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.
“I’ve watched this event grow steadily over the years, so I’ve come to expect strong community support, but even I was caught off guard by how many people turned out this year,” Silvera shared in an interview with the Jamaica Observer. “When I looked out at the sea of participants from every background and corner of the globe, I was so moved I nearly cried. We had predicted we might hit the 10,000-participant mark, but we also knew last-minute changes could derail that goal. This year, everything came together perfectly, and the community showed up in a huge way for this cause.”
Originally, the event set a fundraising target of JMD $10 million to support schools and tertiary students across western Jamaica whose education was disrupted when Hurricane Melissa struck in October last year. That total is already expected to climb higher, as Silvera confirmed multiple new corporate sponsors signed on to support the initiative less than 48 hours before the race kicked off, a testament to widespread stakeholder commitment to rebuilding western Jamaica’s education sector.
Many local education institutions suffered catastrophic damage from the storm. Silvera highlighted the case of Maggotty High School, which was left devastated by the hurricane. Already, a JMD $2.5 million grant secured through the Digicel Foundation has been disbursed to the school, a contribution Silvera says will deliver tangible, immediate improvement to the school community. Another impacted institution, Herbert Morrison Technical High, is set to receive a $1 million grant, and one corporate sponsor has also committed to a long-term partnership with the school’s destroyed engineering department – a program that has produced some of the top engineering students in the region, many of whom have continued attending classes under temporary tents and trees while rebuilding efforts stall. For Silvera, this extended commitment is just as valuable as the one-day fundraising total, highlighting the long-term impact the event is designed to deliver.
Beyond disaster relief, the event also invests in the future of outstanding young Jamaican athletes. Later this year, the Jill Stewart Mobay City Run will honor two rising Trelawny-based track stars – Holland High’s rising sprint prodigy Shanoya Douglas and William Knibb’s sprint star Sanjay Seymore – at its annual Champion of the West Awards. Silvera noted that these young athletes embody the key role that western Jamaican youth play in driving the entire country’s development.
Unlike many one-off community races, the Jill Stewart Mobay City Run was built as a sustained initiative to lift up young people across western Jamaica. “This is not just a one-day event that we wrap up and walk away from,” Silvera explained. “We work with the region’s youth year-round because we know Jamaica’s future is in their hands. If we fail to step up as role models and fail to give them the support they need to build their own futures, we have failed as an organization. This event’s growth over 10 years shows that this long-term investment is already paying off, and it will continue to transform young lives for years to come.”
At a recent cheque presentation, Maggotty High School Principal Sean Graham accepted the $2.5 million grant on behalf of the school, with Digicel Foundation chair Joy Clark and event organizer Janet Silvera in attendance to mark the milestone.