Faster winning times in Byera 5K

Despite reduced participation, the LOG Enterprise Byera 5K Road Race, which is part of Team Athletics SVG’s calendar, came off last Sunday, from Langley Park to the area of the Byera Hill cemetery.{{more}}

Significantly though, all but two of the top places recorded better times than last year, although the distance was slightly longer this time around.

Chatoyer’s Pamenos Ballantyne, after missing the 2014 edition, returned to win the Open Male segment in 15 minutes 38.28 seconds. In Ballantyne’s absence last year, Junior Ashton won in 15 minutes 51.12 seconds.

IT-DAT’s Meshach Dublin, who was not part of the previous race, placed second in 15 minutes 57.21 seconds and Ashton had to settle for third this time around, with 16 minutes 04.56 seconds.

Likewise, Linda Mc Dowall, who, along with Ballantyne and Dublin, was part of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team for the NACAC 10k in Guadeloupe at the 2014 staging of the Byera 5K, was in place to win the Open Female. Mc Dowall’s time was 17 minutes 33.18.

She took off just under nine minutes from last year’s winning time of 26 minutes 28.25 seconds, which was recorded by Alicia Cox.

Mc Dowall was followed by Soreyna Miller, also of IT-DAT. Miller’s time was 25 minutes 42.36 seconds.

Returning as winner of the Female Under-19 category was Kerina Hooper of X-Ceed, whose winning time was 21 minutes 15.04 seconds.

Then a student of the Thomas Saunders Secondary, Hooper timed 21 minutes 11.50 seconds.

Taking the Under-15 Female race was X-Ceed’s Odesha John, in 23 minutes 21.75 seconds, with Akesha Best of the Intermediate High School second.

Meanwhile, Newman Peters of the St Martin’s Secondary claimed the Under-15 Male segment in 18 minutes 13.61 seconds.

Peters beat Marc James of Melisiwe Track into second place and another St Martin’s Secondary School student – Hendrickson Campbell was third.

IT-DAT swept the top three places in the Male Under-19, as Akani Slater, Ryan John and Akeem Benn followed in that order, in 16 minutes 26.64 seconds, 16 minutes 42.46 seconds and 18 minutes 43.36 seconds, respectively.

Samantha Lynch, who won the Female Over-40’s in 28 minutes 02.18 seconds, came in slower than her winning time of 26 minutes 03.94 seconds in 2014.

And, in the Male Over-40, Roger Young took a Sunday afternoon keep fit moment, to win in 20 minutes 59.25 seconds, with Joonyah Garrick second, in 22 minutes 55.78 seconds.

The 2014 Byera race started off just outside Ferdie’s Footsteps in Georgetown and ended at the Byera Hill cemetery.

The next item on the calendar is the TASVG Central Leeward 5k this Sunday, from Pembroke to Layou.(RT)