Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon – ‘the Caribbean’s oldest off-road triathlon’ – is gearing up for another round of Jamaican multisport racing this April.
Offering up ‘real, roots Jamaica’, in the southern Jamaica community of Treasure Beach, the Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon offers up a main event with a 350m swim/25K bike/7K run and a Likkle Jake’s Kids Triathlon. All net proceeds benefit BREDS – a local Treasure Beach charity.
Now in its 19th year, Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon, was voted one of the Top 10 Destination Races of 2013 by Active.com. The event’s organisers note that Jake’s was the only off-road triathlon to make the list. Prior awards for Jake’s include a Top Five Global Off-Road Triathlon award from Triathlete Magazine in 2010.
Meanwhile, in the autumn/fall of 2013, Treasure Beach, Jamaica, the host town for Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon, won the Best Jamaican Community Competition & Programme in prestigious local awards sponsored by Caribbean cell phone provider Digicel.
A year-round program of sports-field building, hosting athletic competition and training, support for local economic initiatives and programs for the greater community earned Treasure Beach the top spot.
Community spirit
The Treasure Beach area in southern Jamaica is away from the main tourist areas and typically serves tourists seeking a quieter seaside location and ‘a real Jamaican experience’. What sets an event such as Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon apart is the way that it galvanises the local community and gives back to worthy causes.
Almost two decades ago, Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon was the first special event started by the community of Treasure Beach to help raise money for its local needs. Led by local business leader Desmond Henry and Hotelier Jason Henzell from Jake’s Hotel, the community formed BREDS, a fisherman/farmers charity and later the Treasure Beach Women’s Group, which became the centre of community-based programs and what they began to call ‘community tourism’.
“The whole community comes together to provide the things we need. We are not a community that looks for a hand-out; we look for a hand-up,” said Denise Wedderburn, coordinator of the Treasure Beach Women’s Group.
Chief sponsors for Jake’s in 2014 are:
- WISYNCO – a leading food and beverage importer – with brands in its portfolio such as WATA (water), Natures Valley, Powerade and Wray & Nephew (rum)
- Island Car Rentals
- Jake’s Hotel
In the past, adidas, Puma, Triathlete Magazine, Air Jamaica, and Jamaica Tourist Board have all had roles supporting the event.
