"Great. I'll be back next year," said Unice Davis of Chester, VA when asked how she liked the course. That was the consensus among runners in the 7th annual Reggae Marathon and Half Marathon in Negril, Jamaica, December 1, 2007. For Davis, it was her third running.

Taking off in the pre-dawn darkness through a gantlet of flaming bamboo torches, the marathon and half-marathon begin together on Norman Manley Boulevard amid the beachfront all-inclusive resorts for which Negril, with its seven-mile white sand beach, is famous. The course takes participants on a quick 3-mile run into town, circles the roundabout, and passes the start/finish area at about 6 miles. Then they are off on an alternately flat and rolling highway that hugs the coast and

offers spectacular views of the sparkling Caribbean. After the turnarounds, the marathoners and half-marathoners finish in a field at Long Bay Beach Park, where they enjoy post-race bananas and coconuts, massages, and a swim in the sea.

The winner of the Reggae Marathon entered almost on a lark. His racing season having ended, Rik Ceulemans of Limburg, Belgium (in photo) was on vacation when he decided to give it a try. He has run 30 marathons, including a 2:14 at Antwerp last year and a 2:13 personal best at Amsterdam, and knew that his body needed a rest after the hard season he had just been through. Ceulemans (35) led from the beginning, holding a steady two-minute lead over second-place Rupert Green (30) until about 22 miles into the race, when he surged and gained 4:30. He broke the tape in 2:31:43 to Green's 2:37:22.

Last year's winner (2:45:00), Andrew Gutzmore of Jamaica, was in fourth place for more than half the race, dogging Christopher Stewart of New York City, and taking over third sometime before the 16-mile split. He finished in 2:41:32. Gutzmore has run all seven Reggae Marathons.

Stewart held on to fourth place, finishing in 2:47:04. Enos Benbow, Jr. of Georgetown, DE was the fifth place finisher in 2:49:23.

Jeanette Seckinger of Portland, OR (in photo) won the women's division in 3:00:57, nearly eight minutes ahead of last year's winner and this year's runner-up, Euleen Josiah-Tanner. Tanner (33) of Atlanta, GA led through the first 16 miles before fading and turning over the lead before the 22-mile mark. Terri Rejimbal (39) of Mt. Dora, FL was third in 3:24:21.

Seckinger (25) said she has run three other marathons, but this is her first win in a major event. She set a PR today; her previous personal best was 3:05 in the Portland Marathon. Although initially worried about the heat and humidity, having grown up in Michigan and being used to running in snow, she said it wasn't too bad. The 5:15 am start time helped, and she enjoyed running in the dark. "It's an awesome course," she said, "and it has good support."

Bethesda's Marian Zobler (in photo) finished in 3:43:32, good for eighth among women. Her best marathon time (3:27) was run on the B&A Trail two years ago, which she said was a similar course in terms of elevation. "The only thing that makes this not a PR course is it is really hot," she commented. But the race is well supported, she noted. She, too, enjoyed starting the race in the dark, and also having local kids run with her along portions of the course. Zobler was in Jamaica on vacation. While planning the trip, she found an ad about the race and moved her departure date up one day to accommodate it. In her first trip to Jamaica, she found the people to be really nice.

Marathon Awards

                          MALE OVERALL WINNERS
Place Bib   Name                Sex Age City                 Time    Pace  
===== ===== =================== === === ==================== ======= ===== 
    1   192 RIK CEULEMANS       M    35 LIMBURG              2:31:43  5:48 
    2    55 RUPERT GREEN        M    30 GREATER PORTMORE     2:37:22  6:01 
    3    56 ANDREW GUTZMORE     M    41 PORTMORE             2:41:32  6:10 

                          FEMALE OVERALL WINNERS
Place Bib   Name                Sex Age City                 Time    Pace  
===== ===== =================== === === ==================== ======= ===== 
    1   127 JEANNETTE SECKINGER F    25 PORTLAND OR          3:00:57  6:55 
    2   185 EULEEN JOSIAH-TANNE F    33 ATLANTA GA           3:08:37  7:12 
    3   115 TERRI REJIMBAL      F    39 MT DORA FL           3:24:21  7:48 

In the half-marathon, which is the larger event, Kemoy Campbell (in photo) won (1:10:26) with just 28 seconds between him and second place Kirk Brown. Campbell (16) of Mandeville, Jamaica, was fifth last year, and attributed his win to having more experience with the course. Kemoy, who ran in a tight pack with several other top finishers, didn't take over the lead until close to the finish.

The women's race was even closer, with Jamaicans Tanice Barnett (in photo below ) (25) and Natoya Goule (16) separated by just four seconds (1:28:48 to 1:28:52). The two ran together the entire race, letting Dale Pommellis take over the lead briefly around the five-mile point. Amoya Bailey of Manchester, Jamaica, was third in 1:31:13.

Songi Drakes and Vicki Kersey, both of Laurel, MD, excitedly greeted each other in the finish area. They were part of a group of eleven active-duty military personnel who came in to run the marathon or half-marathon. Ten are in the Army and one in the Air Force, and all are based in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Charisse Moore of Columbia, MD ran the half (2:40:40) and found the course to be "long." It was her first half-marathon. She ran the Army Ten-Miler in October 2007 in 1:57:44. Drakes was very upbeat, and said she ran her race on pure adrenalin, as she just arrived on the island at midnight the night before the race. (Remember that 5:15 am start time! Editor) Her flight was delayed due to mechanical problems.

This year's field included a large contingent of runners from the Joints in Motion training program, from both the U.S. and Canada. They were evident throughout the course and at the finish in their bright green shirts.

Though still small, the Reggae Marathon offers runners all of the amenities of a big-city marathon. There is ChampionChip timing with five split points on the course and live Internet results, a certified course, race photographers, water and aid stations almost every mile, music along the course, a pre-race expo, and a post-race awards party in the evening at the Negril Escape--West End resort. The night before the race, host resort Couples Swept Away had runners chowing down at "The World's Best Pasta Party" where chefs from many of the top resorts in Negril compete to provide the best pasta dinner. Runners can roam through the tents, adorned with tropical flowers and elaborately carved fruit and ice sculptures, and pick their favorites from the chefs' skillets. Following the pasta dinner, the action moves to town for the Village Bash.

"Absolutely!" said winner Jeanette Seckinger when asked if she would be back.

Half Marathon Awards

                           MALE OVERALL WINNERS
Place Bib   Name                Sex Age City                 Time    Pace  
===== ===== =================== === === ==================== ======= ===== 
    1   781 KEMOY CAMPBELL      M    16 MANDEVILLE           1:10:26  5:23 
    2   287 KIRK BROWN          M    20 KELLITS              1:10:54  5:25 
    3   791 GREGORY MCKENZIE    M    25 MANCHESTER           1:11:33  5:28 

                          FEMALE OVERALL WINNERS
Place Bib   Name                Sex Age City                 Time    Pace  
===== ===== =================== === === ==================== ======= ===== 
    1   273 TANICE BARNETT      F    25 SAINT CATHERINE      1:28:48  6:47 
    2   684 NATOYA GOULE        F    16 MANDEVILLE           1:28:52  6:47 
    3   694 AMOYA BAILEY        F    15 MANCHESTER           1:31:13  6:58 

Runners staying at the resorts in Negril, such as Sandals and Couples Swept Away, can take advantage of pre- and post-race massages and other treatments at the spas. Air Jamaica has daily flights from BWI to Montego Bay; get to the sun in just a little more than three hours! The 2008 Reggae Marathon will be held Saturday, December 6.

For more information, see www.reggaemarathon.com.

Photo Gallery 2007