Women’s Fitness writer Lucy Gornall took her love of fitness to the Caribbean for an unforgettable race…
I love the sun, but I also love running – so why not combine the two? I certainly didn’t need an excuse to head to Jamaica for the Reggae Marathon, which takes place every December. The race is in its 24th year and attracts people from 25 countries around the world, including me from the UK.
After a 10-hour flight, I landed at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the most northern tip of the island. I picked up my case, then headed outside to meet the rest of my group. The Caribbean heat hit hard and, as I peeled off my UK layers, my shoulders dropped and I felt that London stress melt away. We hopped in a cab for the two-hour journey to Negril. In the taxi, we were treated to plantain crisps and Red Stripe, Jamaica’s national beer. I can’t condone this as being good running fuel but I definitely wasn’t saying no to a cold drink after being stuck on a plane.
Day 1: Visiting Negril
Negril is on the western tip of Jamaica and it’s famous for its beautiful white sand beaches. We arrived at Yrie Beach Villa (yriebeach.com), a private 10-bed villa nestled on Negril’s Seven Mile Beach, as the sun was setting. My room was vast, with a four-poster bed, walk-in shower and very strong air-con system. The staff, led by Crystal, went above and beyond to make sure our stay was fantastic.
I was eager for an early night after a long day of travel, but a feast of delicious Jamaican grub awaited, cooked by chef Marie. We tucked into creamy pumpkin soup, before devouring jerk chicken and rice for main. Safe to say, when my head hit the pillow that night, I slept like a baby.
Day 2: Fresh food & snorkelling
A morning stroll along the beach set up my day perfectly. However, a local told me to ‘walk slower’, which just shows how quickly I (and many others) usually race around. One thing I noticed about Jamaica is how friendly the locals are. Whether it’s because they’re so relaxed or because they live in a country that enjoys a year-round tropical climate (with temperatures between 25oC and 30oC degrees pretty much all year), I don’t know, but I enjoyed the regular ‘good mornings’ and brief chats.
Breakfast was a true Jamaican feast: ackee (Jamaica’s national fruit – small, soft, savoury-tasting and yellow) and saltfish, sweet plantain, fruit, yams and coffee with sweet condensed milk. The perfect fuel two days out from the Reggae Marathon! After breakfast, we took a 25-minute glass-bottom boat ride to Booby Cay, an uninhabited island that gets its name from the Booby birds that use the island as a breeding ground. Booby Cay is renowned for being one of the best snorkelling spots in Jamaica – I saw swarms of fish, barracuda and even a turtle as I swam around the reef, guided by our boat’s captain, Vincent. Post-swim,
we were treated to mouth wateringly-fresh lobster and fish, cooked on the island’s many barbecue grills, which are available for anyone to use. Honestly, I was in heaven.
Later that evening, we headed to Rick’s Cafe (rickscafejamaica.com), just in time for sunset. This is a famous outdoor party spot right on Negril beach. The MCs run all day and night, playing music and hosting dance-offs. There’s also various cliff-jumping spots for anyone brave enough to dive into the ocean. It made my stomach turn watching one guy jump into the water from an 85ft ledge – amazing what confidence a rum punch or two can give you!
Day 3: Leg massages & pasta
Today, we drove an hour to the seaside adventure park, Chukka Ocean Outpost (chukka.com) at Sandy Bay, north of Jamaica, where we had the option to choose from a multitude of activities. We went zip lining through the trees before going ocean bamboo rafting. Each raft holds two people and is essentially a huge bamboo paddle board, steered by a strong, muscly Jamaican. The ride comes with Prosecco, fresh coconut water and a limestone foot massage. My feet were run-ready at least!
Pre-run carbs are vital, so the night before the Reggae Marathon, we headed to the famous Pasta Party on Jamwest Beach. This is a ticketed event and it’s what it says on the tin: a party with a lot of pasta. Rasta pasta (made with penne pasta, bell peppers, a creamy sauce and jerk seasoning) and tomato-based spaghetti were dished out in droves to hundreds of hungry runners. Everyone sat on the beach tucking into pasta, drinking Red Stripe and bopping along to the sound of a local steel pan band, but as tomorrow’s race was kicking off at 5.15am, I headed to bed early with a brutal 3am alarm ready to kick me into action.
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Day 4: Race day
Bleary eyed but excited for the morning ahead, my group and I enjoyed a light breakfast of coffee, fruit and Jamaican ginger muffins before heading to the race village at Long Bay Beach Park, a 10-minute drive from our villa.
The Reggae marathon isn’t actually a 26.2-mile marathon: participants can choose from either 5k, 10k or a half marathon, and the course is a looped course along the scenic coastline of the Seven Mile Beach. Despite the early start, it was a hub of excitement near the race start line, with MCs getting people ready for the race.
The reason for the early pitch-black start, as I later found out, was to avoid the main road being blocked off for longer than necessary, and to stop runners overheating. At 5.15am, when the start gun went off, it was already 25oC, but without the sun beating down, it didn’t feel too bad.
The run itself, which is also an Olympic-qualifying race, was a great experience. For the first 50 minutes, we ran in darkness, with lights en route to avoid the entire thing becoming a tripping hazard. At every mile there were water stops and regular ‘car stereo’ points blasting out music, but I ran with my headphones so that I could keep to a beat.
As I crossed the 6th mile, my body was starting to feel like a sauna, the sun started to rise. This was the total highlight of the run for me; nothing is more grounding than a beautiful sunrise, and I swapped my internal moaning for utter awe as the sky lit up in beautiful shades of orange and red.
During the final mile, it was hot, my brain felt like it was on fire, and the man running next to me was infuriatingly fast and I was trying to keep up. But it was all worth it to cross the finish line surrounded by cheers and music. After being handed my medal, I headed straight for the water stand, but the difference with a Jamaican half marathon is that everyone re-hydrates with a fresh coconut. It certainly helped me feel alive after losing what felt like a stone in sweat during the run. For an extra cool-down, many runners kicked off their trainers and ran into the crystal-clear ocean.
I can’t say I’ve raced in a half marathon before 7am before, but I tell you what, I was on a runner’s high for the rest of the day.
Day 5: A change of pace
Saying goodbye to Yrie Villa was quite emotional – I loved the staff, the beach, the food, the whole vibe of the place – but I was to spend my final night in Montego Bay at the swanky Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa (hyattinclusivecollection.com). Here, you don’t really need to leave the premises as this resort has everything you could dream of.
During the day, the pool area was lively with music, volleyball, aqua aerobics and even a foam party. I’m not a huge party-goer, so the line up of calmer activities took my fancy, such as the Sip & Paint, which is as the name suggests, painting whilst sipping cocktails.
Despite being active for much of my trip, I hadn’t hit the gym for several days, so I was also eager to check out the facilities at Breathless. I was not disappointed: the gym had every form of cardio, leg and upper-body machine, as well as a squat rack, cable machine and endless free weights. This was nestled next to the spa, so you can work out and then recover with a massage if you wish.
There are several restaurants at the resort, too. I ate at the rooftop restaurant Altitude (the stuffed chicken breast was very good), and Culinaria which provided a salad bar so I could fill up on greens and goodness before my flight home the next day.
Whilst in Montego Bay I couldn’t resist checking out Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records, a sports bar that serves Jamaican food alongside dancehall and reggae music. I enjoyed a margarita whilst staring down from the balcony at a huge statue of Usain Bolt – made out of bolts.
The following morning, I headed to the airport to catch my flight home. I don’t often say this, but Jamaica stole my heart. The people, the food, the weather, the relaxed pace of life… it really is like nowhere else. I have already registered for the Reggae Marathon 2025. Who’s joining me?
Travel file
Return flights to Montego Bay with Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow start at £657. For more information, visit visitjamaica.com and reggaemarathon.com
