Veteran athletes Alicia Fortune and Caroline Forde have teamed up to run off the Super Mile set for October 3 in the National Park.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport, Fortune revealed that she and Forde have always wanted to ‘give back’ to their Beterverwagting community and though the meet cannot be held at the community ground, they are pleased to participate in the super mile.
“We don’t want sprinters getting injured [which can happen] when they run on [a] track that is uneven. I am an athlete and know exactly how it feels to have a hamstring injury or sprained ankle due to poor maintenance of the facility,” she said, explaining why the venue had to be changed.
Forde said she and Fortune had been planning the event for the last two years and thought it was time to act on it. She too lamented the unavailability of the track and limited sponsorship which caused them to change the event. Having a full track meet means that officials would have to be paid and at the moment they cannot afford that, she said.
According to Forde, invitations have been distributed to a number of clubs and athletes and some have already responded.
Cash incentives and trophies will be awarded to athletes in various categories: juniors – men and women; seniors – men and women; masters – men and women; open, youngest man and woman and to the first male and female finishers from Beterverwagting. Forde also said that the cash incentive would increase as sponsorship increases.
