I chalked up another one for a worthy cause. Running to raise funds for the Barbados Special Olympics Team as they prepare to travel for the Special Olympics World Games this summer. Special Olympics 5km-results This race was one of the two races incorporated into my training program for that weekend. The training sessions can be found here Sprint Triathlon LEVEL 2 -W01D6a-Bike/Run/Swim Brick : By Oein and it look like this:

Saturday morning:

    • @ 4:36am – 1hr 4min easy ride [varying levels of pace]
    • @ 6:00am – 6.2km road race hosted by the CFFB [Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Barbados]
    • @ 8:00am – Open water swim with BFIT and other swimmers [2km – with recovery after the 1st km]

Sunday evening :

    • @ 4:30pm Special Olympics 5km

I am glad I supported both road races, as they were held for a worthy cause. CFFB is doing a wonderful job in promoting and supporting awareness of Cystic Fibrosis, here is their website Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Barbados.

The Special Olympics 5km is raising funds for the athlete’s trip to Los Angeles this summer [as stated before], here is their website Special Olympics Barbados. Related article: The Inaugural Special Olympics 5K Run and Walk

The media coverage [press/article] on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Barbados [CFFB] event was published by the Barbados Advocate in the July 7th 2015 edition ‘A Way to Care 5K’ records success

This article was published in the Barbados Today July 8th 2015 edition A special 5K – Barbados Today July 8th 2015 Edition

Josiah Oein emerged the winner of the inaugural Special Olympics 5K Run and Walk that ended at the Bay Street Esplanade over the weekend. Oein clocked a time of 17:03.8.

Josiah Oein won the event.

For his efforts Oein was presented with a Nokia Lumina 630 phone, compliments Digicel. The top finishing Special Olympics male athletes were Raymond Delphi, Tyson Browne, Akitunde’ Hall and Korey Kellman, all of whom are members of the Special Olympics Barbados track and field team which will compete in the Los Angeles World Games.

Under the guidance of June Rudder of Elite Sports, the 5K was staged to help raise funds to send 26 Barbados athletes to the Special Olympics World Games, to be held from July 25 to August 2.

Fast runs were the order of the day as Rachel Atkinson captured the female title. Crossing the finish line more than two minutes ahead of her closest opponent, she won an Alcatel Poc C5 phone, also compliments Digicel. Sean Cooke topped a field of three to place first in the wheelchair division.

Female winner Rachel Atkinson (right) receives a medal and hug from Special Oympics Barbados vice-chairman Elizabeth Bowen.

A big prize of the day, which was won by runner Don Gittens in a post-race raffle, was a staycation for two, donated by the Radisson Aquatica Resort. All runners and walkers received Special Olympics medals.

Striding to victory in the walk phase of the event were Dudley Harewood in the male division and Charmaine Seale in the female division. Among the Special Olympics athletes competing in the walk and headed for the World Games were Nikita Maycock, Rosie Murray, Patrick Hinds, Tiffany Branch, Shanara Cain, Desiree Hinds, Leander Brathwaite and Felicia McLennan, along with Special Olympics unified partners Nadia McLennan and Rico Wiggins.

Special Olympics athletes Rosie Murray (l) and Nikita Maycock stride together to the finish line.

Special Olympics unified partners are participants who do not have intellectual disabilities, and they compete alongside Special Olympics athletes who have intellectual challenges.

Both Nadia McLennan and Rico Williams who will travel to Los Angeles to compete in bocce, teamed up with athletes Felicia McLennan (Nadia’s daughter) and Patrick Hinds.

The field of runners and walkers also included a number of Special Olympics athletes, who take part in the organisation’s various sports programmes. Special Olympics Barbados chairman Donna King-Brathwaite said she was looking forward to the 5K Run and Walk becoming an annual fund-raising event on their calendar.

Runners and athletes who would like to see themselves in action in the inaugural Special Olympics 5K Run and Walk, can visit the Special Olympics website, www.specialolympicsbarbados.org to view a photo slideshow of the event.

The drive to help fund the 4,000-mile trip to Los Angeles and the on-going programmes of Special Olympics continues this Saturday when JoJo’s in the Carlton Plaza in Black Rock will host a games evening. The fun event, which will begin at 2 p.m. and runs until, will feature road tennis, bingo, darts, draughts and chess. 

Source: (PR)

Race held to raise funds for Los Angeles World Games