A good following of spectators, officials and supports watched Main rival Conscious Vybz (CV) relay men team turn the tables in the popular annual Easter Monday Relay (cross country) by taking the winning position in both men and women sections, finishing at the Little Bay play field.
Firstly, the CV men beat rival men from Fire, last year’s winning team, by running the correct route, snapping victory from disqualified Police who had imported some champion runners from a neighbouring island. Fire then took 2nd spot, while MSS team 1took 3rd.
The female Conscious Vybz team took the first spot beating the MSS Team 1 who put in a well below standard because of two sick runners on middle 2nd and 3rd connecting legs. The ladies CV team took a commanding lead which they never let up in spite of MSS Samantha’s best effort on the final leg. Conscious Vybz did beat their last year’s second place time of 50:28. MSS clocked 49:17 over their record time of 48:15. The officials mentioned that even with slight variations in the route, the female race was slower than last year, a clear result of the MSS sick team.
CV team won in 1hr 35:9 after police had sprinted in first running a shortened route which created much discussion. Fire clocked 1 hr 37:47 and MSS, 1 hr 38:20. The route this year was slightly changed but last year Fire had clocked 1 hr 36:13, CV at 1hr.43:45 and MSS 1hr 41:50.
The confusion came over a lack of knowledge by the lead police runners of the correct route at the roundabout above the market and below the Cultural Centre. The runners even after learning, like the CV runners after they had gone past the roundabout were advised that they were running the incorrect route. The CV runners back-tracked and naturally would have been in an advantageous position, while it was more than speculation that the Police runners, who were the imports figured they would have been disadvantaged, by then running behind the CV runners.
Some commentators blamed the officials for not having marks on the route, but TMR commenting during the discussion pointed out that competitors will always have problems when they are ignorant of the rules within which they compete. Officials confirmed that the route was officially communicated and explained (at least) to the teams officials. It was in fact the CV manager who had directed his team that they were running the incorrect route.
The end route – marked
There only two teams in the female race with MSS fielding three teams 1, 2 and 3, and CV. In the men’s there were five teams. MSS, CV 1 and 2, Fire and Police. Last year MSS entered two girls team.
There was no Jamrock team for the ladies and no Gunners for the men.
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