Kenya’s Mbihia confident as Independence 5K launched

Athletes from all walks of life, or even persons who think they have what it takes to complete a 5-kilometre race, will have opportunity to put their skills to the test when the 5K Road Race being hosted by the Guyana Committee of Services (GCS) in collaboration with the Rising Star Athletics Club is staged.

The action is slated for Independence Day on Monday May 27 from 4pm (16h), and accomplished Kenyan runner Godfrey Mbihia is slated to be among the participants. This athlete, who copped gold in a ‘C to C’ 5K Race in Trinidad and Tobago last weekend, is in prime shape for competition, and is looking forward to confronting whatever Guyanese athletes have in store for him.
“In sports anything can happen, and you believe everyone is strong; you never know who can win the race, (so) always be positive. I’m here to win the race, but if someone else is here to win the race, let the best winner win,” Mbihia has confidently declared.
The road race will be open to athletes from as young as ten years old, and will feature several categories, such as Juniors, Seniors, Masters and 70+.
Former coach and race organiser Leslie Blacks has detailed the route of Monday’s race. “This event will start in the National Park, and we’re just going for 5K ‘cause we don’t want to keep the athletes too long. We’re going to come out into Thomas Road, take Vlissengen Road into Carifesta Avenue, and then we’ll turn left into Camp Street, into Thomas Road again, into the National Park, and then we’ll finish at the GTT bandstand,” Blacks explained.
The accumulated prize money is in excess of $800,000, and there expectedly are a number of sponsors on board, among which is Guybisco, whose Marketing Representative, Collis Venture, explained why the company has sponsored the event.
“We decided to be a part of this event to show support towards the development of athletics in Guyana. We decided to partner with the Guyana Committee of Services because we recognise the good work that they have been doing over the years in helping and assisting people in need, and we realised that that is something we want to be part of as distributors”, Venture explained.
Besides the GCS and Guybisco, other sponsors include Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister, GTT, ANSA McAL, BK International, Brans Security, Busta Beverages, Cummings Electrical, and Kenneth Phillips.