Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
Associate Director of the Rosehall Triathlon, Rayne Russell, points out the route to to be taken during the triathlon at the press conference held at the Hilton hotel yesterday.

ROSE HALL, the scenic tourism corridor on the outskirts of the city of Montego Bay, is poised for sporting excitement in October, with the inaugural staging of the Rose Hall Triathlon and Wellness Festival.

The event, which is the brainchild of Entertain Jamaica's Rayne Russell, will feature a 1,500-metre swim, a 40-kilometre cycling ride and 10-kilometre run, and is geared at repositioning Rose Hall as Jamaica's premier sports-tourism centre and health-and-wellness hub.

Addressing journalists yesterday at the event's official launch during the Jamaica Product Exchange expo, now on at the Hilton Kingston, Russell said that Rose Hall was mostly regarded as Jamaica's elegant corridor, but not enough was known about its health-and-wellness component.

Finest spas in the Carib

"Rose Hall is home to five-diamond, luxury, convention-style and family resorts boasting some of the finest spas in the Caribbean, and we plan to highlight these attributes aggressively overseas," stated Russell.

He disclosed that among the internationally renowned athletes being courted are notable Olympians and 2007 Triathletes of the Year, Australian Greg Bennett and his American wife Laura, who rank in the top five in the world.

"The international athletes will compete against a host of Jamaicans, including a number of former Miss Jamaica World title holders, Reggae Boyz and local Olympians," he added

Fully endorsed by Michele Rollins' Rose Hall Developments Limited, the wellness segment will highlight holistic methods, including yoga, reflexology, Raki, Jamaican medicine men and 'Ital' cooking.

A peep into Jamaican culture

"We live from the produce taken from the earth and in this respect, the organic growers will give information on the complexities of natural growing. They will give you a better understanding of the elements that need to be considered to provide a product that is untouched by conventional chemicals," said Kathy Marley, organiser of the wellness festival.

"It will be an event that brings awareness of that part of Jamaica's culture that lives the 'No problem' lifestyle," said Marley.

According to Manley, the expo will give visitors a peep into the true beauty of the Jamaican people and the reason why Jamaica is a destination to which people gravitate.

The triathlon takes place on Sunday, October 26, coinciding with the four-day health-and-wellness retreat, which starts on Thursday, October 23. Both events are expected to demonstrate the mutual benefits that can be derived from twinning sports tourism with health and fitness. Research has shown that sports tourism is now a multibillion-dollar business with global outreach.

The run