Jay Donawa On Skyport Magic Mile
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Jay Donawa has a long history with Bermuda Pacers Track Club – first as an athlete and now as a coach helping to inspire the next generation.
Donawa, a Bermuda Day Half-Marathon champion, began his athletics journey at Pacers, which he credits with sparking his love for the sport and helping him develop into one of the island’s top long-distance runners.
Now a coach at the club, Donawa believes the Skyport Magic Mile, powered by the Pacers Track Club, provides an important gateway for boys and girls to experience competition in a fun environment for the first time.
Jay Donawa with sons Mateo and Jace Donawa
“I started out with Pacers in ’83 [the club started in 1981], so I’ve a lot of history with Pacers,” Donawa told Bernews.
“Without Pacers, I don’t think I’d have continued in the sport of track and field.
“The club was very important. Cal Simons [one of the club’s founders] visited West End Primary and I started training and competing for them.
“The club exposed me to track and field both locally and internationally.
“It was instrumental during my formative years, and I’m indebted to the club.”
Jay Donawa’s son, Justin Donawa, who plays football in England
All three of Donawa’s sons – footballers Justin and Jace, and referee Mateo – began their sporting journeys in the Magic Mile.
“All three of my sons enjoyed taking part in the event when they were small,” Donawa said.
“The event has grown over the years, and you have little ebbs and flows with some of the entries, depending on when the event is held.
“Hopefully, we will have a great turnout this weekend. I’ll be there cheering on the kids – I really enjoy it.
“It’s great to see the excitement from the kids and their parents.
“The track probably feels like a big city when you’re that age!”
For the past five years, Donawa has served as a Pacers coach, focusing on developing distance runners after his competitive career.
“Once I finished competing, I wanted to give back and provide some tutelage, especially to the distance runners,” added Donawa, who had a standout career as a student-athlete at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Auburn University.
“Some of our athletes have gone to Carifta and it’s been great to assist in their development in distance running.”
The event at the Flora Duffy Stadium on Saturday [February 21] will run from noon until 4.30pm. and will award cash donations to schools with the highest participation numbers.
Private and public schools across pre-school, primary, middle and senior school levels are eligible to win $200, courtesy of Skyport, which became the event’s lead sponsor in 2019.
In addition to school prizes, trophies will be presented to the fastest runners in each age-group heat, as well as to the top three overall finishers in every category. Skyport will also award a $2,000 scholarship to a promising college-bound athlete from the Bermuda Pacers Track Club.
Families can also look forward to the return of the Security Associates Kids’ Village, featuring an expanded range of activities for young participants.
The programme will include a high-energy warm-up session led by Mr Fotogenik, along with live performances to set the tone for the afternoon.
Race distances will vary by age group: four- and five-year-old boys and girls will complete one lap of the track; six- and seven-year-olds will run two laps; eight- and nine-year-olds will cover three laps; and all other age groups will run four laps.
Registration closes at 11.59pm tomorrow.
For more information, visit RunSignUp.
