Over 200 pairs of sneakers will trek across St John’s and its environs on Wednesday when the 4th edition of the annual “Cruise to Run” initiative reaches Antigua.
The venture, an initiative of Jerry and Jody Friesen - a Canadian couple based in Ontario, will also see over 200 books donated to the national library as gifts from each runner. Education officials will receive the donation on January 27 during a short ceremony at the Heritage Quay bandstand at 8 am.
Cordova Simon, president of the Hurricane Power Athletics Club, main organizers of the event, will then lead the delegation through St John’s to the King George V Grounds in preparation for the 18 km run to Fort Barrington at Deep Bay.
Along the pre-decorated route, students are expected to greet and encourage runners as they make their way to their final stop.
According to Friesen, “The mere thought of a cruise-ship vacation 
can make a runner go stir-crazy. The idea of sitting idle on a ship for days, with brief forays ashore focusing on shopping at tourist traps is enough to make any runner jump ship and book a different type of holiday, and the Cruise to Run Initiative is designed with runners in mind.”
The trip has similar stopovers in St Thomas, Tortola, St Lucia, and Barbados, each featuring a different kind of run, from a 5K Prediction Run (no watches allowed - closest person to their predicted time wins) to a 5K race in Barbados.
In Antigua, runners will be given a brief tour of Fort Barrington, as well a historical lecture by Michelle Henry, curator of the National Museum.
Tourism Minister John Maginley said, “Antigua & Barbuda, as one of the leading tourism destinations in the Caribbean, must reposition itself and introduce new, innovative ways to increase our visitor profile and appeal in the international tourist market if we are going to maintain our share in the global tourism market.”
Furthermore, the minister added that, “The Cruise to Run initiative is one such innovative and novel way of bringing greater awareness to the beauty and charm of our country and its people.”
The initiative has seen a collaboration of numerous tourism partners including the Ministry of Tourism, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Antigua Pier Group Ltd, Hurricane Power Athletics Club, and Subway.
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