News Americas, New York, NY, Fri. Sept. 28, 2012: Non-profit group, Team Jamaica Bickle, is preparing for its 2nd annual 5K Run, scheduled for Baisley Park, Queens, New York, Saturday, October 20, 2012.
The theme of this year’s event is ‘Promoting Healthy Lifestyles,’ and comes on the heels of a successful 1st staging in 2011.
The meet, which is USATF sanctioned, is being presented in association with Awesome Power Track Club and is expected to attract runners from the road race circuit across the northeast. Runners and walkers can participate in the 5K Run, 5K Walk or the 1 Mile Run. The overall male and female 5K Run champions will receive automatic entry to the Reggae Marathon, in Negril, Jamaica, plus air fare, hotel and ground transportation.
“We are extremely pleased with the continued support of the Reggae Marathon for the second year running,” said Irwine Clare, the organization’s CEO. “The community is being encouraged to get active and walk with us. In this year that Jamaica and Trinidad celebrate 50 years of political independence, coupled with the Caribbean’s prolific performance at the Olympics, This 5K is a fitting celebratory endeavor with a positive message for our community.”
Team Jamaica Bickle hopes that the message of health is one that will resonate with the community. In a recent health summit at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and University Hospital Center of Brooklyn, titled Health Disparities in the Caribbean Community, the health status of Caribbean blacks in the US, was described as having a ‘four-year’ poor health marker, due to a sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, loss of major sources of social support, and greater stress of acculturation, a fact not so when they first arrive. It further pointed out that health care statistics show that Caribbean populations living in Brooklyn suffer disproportionately from a variety of health care concerns, including chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and mental health issues.
Team Jamaica Bickle believes that using the sports platform to promote the message of health is one that the organization is uniquely suited to do. Encouraging the community to be more physically active is one component of that message. Additional nutrition and health resources from a variety of sources will be available at the event.
For more information TJB may be reached at 1.800.624.7478. Race information: Sean Phillips @ 718. 724.3889. To download the registration form visit: www.tjb5k.com or email tjb5krun.com.
About Team Jamaica Bickle
Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB) is a 501 © (3 ) not-for-profit, based in New York, formed in 1994 under the leadership of Irwine G. Clare Sr., to provide much needed support for Jamaican athletes who compete at the annual Penn Relays Carnival, held at the University of Pennsylvania. Team Jamaica Bickle has for the past 18 years supported athletes and athletic programs, internationally as well as in the Diaspora. Approximately 750 athletes, coaches and volunteers from Jamaica, other Caribbean countries, such as Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent & The Grenadines and the Diaspora are served by TJB.
About Awesome Power Track Club
Awesome Power Track Club was formed in 2003 by Coach Sean Phillips. His goal was to provide a safe haven for athletes after school where scholarship and character building would be priority. The athletes are taught time management skills as practices are regularly scheduled and club participation is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance. Awesome Power Track Club provides an important service to the community through enrichment programs for the athletes and utilizes all resources in the hopes of obtaining collegiate scholarships for each athlete.
About USATF
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. Led by President Stephanie Hightower and interim CEO Michael McNees, USATF is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization with a staff of professional program administrators at the National Office in Indianapolis.
