THE COURTS Guyana Inc. 10K, one of the country’s most lucrative road races, will be held on October 1, with the company once again teaming up with the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) to host the seventh installation of the race.

With over $2M invested in this year’s event, COURTS Marketing Manager Pernell Cummings told reporters at the company’s Main Street branch yesterday, that as an entity, “we’re very happy to be contributing to Athletics in Guyana and also to the overall fitness of the Guyanese people. I must thank the AAG for continuing to partner with us and for making this event a success.”

Cleveland Forde and US-based Euleen Josiah-Tanner are defending male and female champions respectively, having dominated the event for a number of years.
Forde clocked 32 minutes 40 seconds (32:40.0) to win last year’s 10K, while rivals Winston Missigher (33:15.1) and Cleveland Thomas (33:26.7) finished second and third respectively.

Josiah-Tanner ran 40:12.20 to finish ahead of the now Monroe College student Claudrice McKoy (41:42.9), while Ashanti Scott was third in a time of 41:56.6.
“I want to challenge athletes to break this (dethrone Tanner and Forde), and I myself, being a part of the COURTS Committee, challenge all my staff to come out and try to beat me,” Cummings jokingly said.

Aubrey Hutson, president of the AAG, stated that the COURTS 10K is one of the pillars of road races in Guyana and his association is more than happy to be partnering with the company for another year.

Hutson hinted at a number of changes to this year’s 10K and efficiency with regard to producing results, but stated “the route remains the same, we’re going to start in front of COURTS Main Street, into High Street Kingston, proceed east into Carifesta Avenue, then into the Rupert Craig Highway and we’re going to make a U-Turn at Conversation Tree and once we come onto the southern carriage way, we come west into Public Road Kitty, proceed south into Vlissengen Road, west into Lamaha Street and to Main Street for the finish.”

“What we’re trying to do as well is to include some of the school athletes who are left out because of the age restriction of the IAAF and who can do a 10K; so we’re looking this year, to put athletes between ages 10 and 15 years old, those preparing for the Schools Championship to do a ‘Golden Mile’ around Main Street where we go up to Lamaha Street and return,” said Hutson.

With regard to the cash prizes up for grabs, Hutson explained, “We’re still in negotiations to see how best we could improve on that but it would not be less than what it is, but the usual great prizes that are awarded by COURTS could be expected this year again.”