The first race in the Burger King/Jamdammers Five Race Grand Prix Series runs off this afternoon with the Ministry of Health's 5K in celebration of Caribbean Wellness Day. Race time is 4 o'clock.

The road race series, which will be mounted in Kingston, St Catherine, Clarendon, St James and St Elizabeth, will see 2008 champions Kemoy Campbell of Bellefield and G.C. Foster College's Arieta Martin defending their titles.

According to Race Director Alfred Francis, a total prize purse of $346,000 awaits the winners at the end of the series.

Top runners, first to third place male and female, will receive $40,000, $20,000 and $15,000, respectively. Kemoy Campbell of Bellefield and G.C. Foster's Arieta Martin are the defending champions.

prizes

In the schools' category, the champion school will get $40,000, second place $25,000 and third $16,000, while first-place masters runners will get $10,000, with $5,000 and $3,000 for second and third place.

Today's race, the MOH 5K, start and end in Half-Way Tree. Runners will travel along Half-Way Tree Road, Oxford Road, to New Kingston, Waterloo Road, South Avenue and Constant Spring Road.

In commenting on the series, marketing manager of Restaurant Associates Limited, franchise holders of Burger King, Dianna Blake-Bennett, said: "This year the focus will be on Montego Bay, with Burger King stamping its ownership on road racing in that part of the island through the "Burger King MoBay 10K" on October 11.