New Year, Same Energy: Pan Groove 5K Leads the Charge

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21 January, 2026 New Year, Same Energy: Pan Groove 5K Leads the Charge

New Year, Same Energy: Pan Groove 5K Leads the Charge

Sean Taylor Million Mile Challenge, Press Release, Races

The Race That Sets the Tone for 2026: Pan Groove 5K!

The Savannah was where the action was at on Saturday 17, but this time only momentarily, it was not for Carnival.

Waving flags, and blasting speakers took a back seat as we kicked off the year with a cross country 5k for none other than Phase II Pan Groove with the race starting opposite Stollmeyer’s Castle, proceeding through the inner terrain of the savannah and right back where it started.

The seven-time Panorama winners were all too familiar – as we all know – with the Savannah turf, but this time they traded the sticks for running sneakers and joined the Bafasports movement that has taken the roads by storm.

With a strong finish in 2025 including record-breaking races like the Fatima Anniversary 5k, and the Starbucks Coffee Run 5k, there was no time to waste for our hard-working administrative team and what better to get the ball rolling for 2026 than a cross country race for the famous Panorama band – pan and savannah grass, always a winning combination.

Watch yuhself! Runners hit the ground running at the starter’s horn at the Phase II Pan Groove cross country 5k at the QPS on Saturday 17. What a way to start 2026. Photo: courtesy Bafasports Media.

Savannah Grass and Pan

On the grass, the PPF running club almost swept the podiums for both the men’s and women’s divisions, as the club accounted for four of the six podium places after the last runner flashed past the finish line.

Dirk Eichberger, representing FC Erlenbach and hailing all the way from Germany, clocked in at 20:58 to top the men’s division, followed by Jean-Luc Worrell (Just Run Na) second in 21:14, and Tobagonian Renoki Abbott (PPF) in 21:21.5 to wrap up third place.

Over in the women’s, PPF dominated the podium as Eva Templado stopped the clock at 26:20.7, while the Khafra sisters, Neferta and Heqpera, presumably took sibling rivalry to another level cutting second and third to five-tenths of a second.

Neferta edged just ahead clocking 27:07.2, while Heqpera came in third with a 27:07.5 time.

On the trail. Runners follow the charted course during the Phase II Pan Groove 5k cross country run at the QPS on Saturday 17. Photo: Bafasports Media.

Fueled by our sponsors the Carnival energy will continue

Thanks to our valued partners;  Subway,Dasani,Good N’ Natural,Phoenix Dental,Eve,Optometrists Today, E Health,Powerade,Starbucks,Trinebox,and Caribbean Airlines, we wrapped up another successful event for the Phase II Pan Groove.

And the year is only just getting started. The Million Mile Challenge is all systems go for 2026 with a slew of races rapidly approaching on the calendar, including the National Carnival 5k on Saturday, as well as the Midnight 10k Popup to follow swiftly behind on Sunday.

It is a new year, but our energy is still the same: to empower communities, promote wellness, and inspire positive change, one stride at a time.

Results:

Men

  1. Dirk Eichberger (FC Erlenbach) – 20:58
  2. Jean-Luc (Just Run Na) – 21:14
  3. Renoki Abbott (PPF) – 21:21.5

Women

  1. Eva Templado (PPF) – 26:20.7
  2. Neferta Khafra (PPF) – 27:07.2
  3. Heqpera Khafra (PPF) – 27:07.7
Conquering the trail: From L-R, Renoki Abbott, Dirk Eichberger, and Jean-Luc Worrell receive their medals and winnings from Michelle Huggins-Watts, Phase II captain. Abbott is from Tobago, while Eichberger hailed all the from Germany to trek to a savannah-grass victory. Photo: Bafasports Media.
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