Garmin Watches and Sea Blast, at last!
Sancouche 5K Community Pop-Up a couple weeks ago may have been the prelude, but now here’s the real deal.
On Sunday we circled back to Mayaro again for our annual Coconut Beach Run, which featured a slew of runners lining up on the sands for another dash at precious metal, or just to take in the vibes.
Sand, Sea, and Ocean Spray
And there was a lot of vibes to be had as usual, as the race started on the shoreline of Mayaro Bay with an early start running the entire event off in earnest.
The marquee event was the 10K of course, which started around Edgehill Road, and went straight down to Frontin Road before heading back.
For the runner and nature lover, this was heaven as the mouth of the Lagon Doux River punctuated the race to and from, which added another element to an otherwise straight course.
The course may not have been a winding road, but runners did have to content with nature herself in their dash towards the podium.
Over to the sands…
Isiah Alder and Heqpera Khafra emerged as the leading performers in the Bafasports Mayaro Coconut Beach Run over the weekend, taking victories in the men’s 10K and women’s 10K respectively.
Alder crossed the finish line in 39 minutes, 13 seconds to claim the men’s 10K title, finishing 48.4 seconds ahead of Collin Pereira (40:01.4). Basanji Neter, who also contested the 5K earlier in the event, was third in 41:24.4.
Khafra completed the women’s 10K in 59:55.3, narrowly missing the one-hour mark, with Neferta Khafra following in 1:00:23.4. Shania De Ramos rounded out the podium in 1:00:55.8.
Khafra also enjoyed success in the women’s 5K, clocking 25:53.3 to finish just 7.9 seconds ahead of Nina Chaves (26:01.2). Aaliyah Mohammed was third in 26:12.4, making it another tightly contested finish among the leading women.
The men’s 5K was won by Neter in 19:06.4. Akil Ragbir was second in 20:02.5, while Marc Manswell completed the top three in 20:21.2.
The younger competitors also took centre stage, with Daniel de Freitas and Aashvi Mathura claiming the respective boys’ and girls’ titles in the 1K 7-and-under category.
De Freitas won the boys’ race in 4:39.6, while Mathura took the girls’ title in 5:41.9.
In the 8-12 age group, Micah Hector led the boys’ field in 3:50.3, finishing ahead of Micah Manswell (4:16.4) and Darion Caton (4:32.4).
Shyla Mohammed topped the girls’ 8-12 race in 4:59.3, with Sarika Surujdeo second in 5:10.4 and Miquela Fernandez third in 5:39.8.
The Mayaro Coconut Beach Run featured competition across the 1K, 5K and 10K distances, bringing together runners across the youth and senior categories for a weekend of road-running action.
And it wouldn’t be a Bafa event without…
The Mayaro Coconut Beach Run offered plenty beyond the race itself, with all finishers taking home magnificent medals and runners receiving support along the course from hydration and motivation stations.
The event also had plenty up for grabs, including cash prizes for the top three male and female finishers, age-group prizes, as well as product sampling and giveaways to add to the excitement throughout the day.
Here we come, La Vega!
And the races are rolling one into the other at this point. Next up this Sunday is a trip down to Gran Couva for the La Vega 8K.
A week later on August 30, will be the PTSC Sports Club’s Wellness Express 5K 2026 to run off in Arima, and there still the Sach and Steel 5K Pop-Up, which is currently in planning to run off on August 27.
Results
Mayaro 10K Results:
Men
- Isiah Alder – 39:13.0
- Collin Pereira – 40:01.4
- Basanji Neter – 41:24.4
Women
- Heqpera Khafra – 59:55.3
- Neferta khafra – 1:00:23.4
- Shania De Ramos – 1:00:55.8
Mayaro 5K Results:
Men
- Basanji Neter – 19:06.4
- Akil Ragbir – 20:02.5
- Marc Manswell – 20:21.2
Women
- Heqpera Khafra – 25:53.3
- Nina Chaves – 26:01.2
- Aaliyah Mohammed – 26:12.4
Mayaro 1K 7&Under Results:
Boys
- Daniel de Freitas – 4:39.6
- Jayseon Stafford – 5:28.5
- Collin Jr – 5:51.1
Girls
Aashvi Mathura – 5:41.9
Wardah Mohammed – 5:55.1
Akeilah Jemmott – 6:32.7
Mayaro 1K 8-12 Results:
Boys
- Micah Hector – 3:50.3
- Micah Manswellb – 4:16.4
- Darion Caton – 4:32.4
Girls
- Shyla Mohammed – 4:59.3
- Sarika Surujdeo – 5:10.4
- Miquela Fernandez – 5:39.8
*See Results page for more details
