Olympic Champion Helps Kickoff Grace Jamaican Jerk Week In South Florida

The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival will turn up the fun this year with the Hot Trot Jerk 5K Run/Walk on November 3, at Markham Park, Sunrise, Florida.

The event, which gets underway at 8:00 a.m., will kick off the inaugural “Jerk Week” activities and a blazing line up of live Reggae Acts including Etana & Morgan Heritage & Fab 5 Bands.

Everyone, from athletes to couch potatoes, can join in this fun, family-friendly event that will feature Grace Foods Brand Ambassador, World & Olympic 100m and 200m Champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Participants and spectators will get to meet the Olympic champ, who will be serving as pace runner for the event.

To sweeten the pot, the top male and female finisher will win a trip to Jamaica to participate in the 2013 Reggae Marathon in December and the top three males and females in age groups will also receive awards.

Attendees can take advantage of the Health & Wellness Fair, featuring booths by Publix Pharmacy and County Line Chiropractic Medical and Rehab Center. Race participants will get to enjoy tasty breakfast items from Publix and a post-race celebration with prize presentations.

The Hot Trot Jerk 5K Run/Walk will benefit Team Jamaica Bickle Inc., a non-profit organization that provides accommodation, transportation and meals for Caribbean athletes at the annual Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

If you’re inspired to participate, take advantage of the pre-registration discount which continues until November 1 and receive a custom t-shirt! You can also register on race day to be a part of this exciting event. Is your Team ready for the Team Challenge? Calling all Corporations, High School Alumni Associations and Community Organizations to get your teams ready to compete!!!

As an added bonus, race participants can take their registration to any County Line Chiropractic Medical & Rehab Center and receive a free check-up! Take advantage of this offer and automatically qualify to win one of three fabulous prizes: One 42 inch Plasma TV, a Day at the Spa or a Premium Tablet.  Log on to www.runHotTrot.com to register and get more details.

Other events for Jerk Week include a Jerk Cooking Class at the Publix Apron’s Cooking School in Plantation on Tuesday, November 5; promotions featuring sampling and ticket giveaways at the University of Miami on Wednesday, November 6; a sizzling Friday night party dubbed “Inferno,” at Grand Palms Resort in Pembroke Pines on November 8, and the All-inclusive Rum, Wine and Jerk – A Taste of the Caribbean with entertainment by world renowned Jamaican Jazz pianist, Monty Alexander on Saturday, November 9 at Markham Park. Sunday, November 10 is the main event — the 12th Annual Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival — which will transform Markham Park into the jerk mecca of the United States with a wide array of jerk foods, entertainment and culture.

Details on activities are available at www.jerkfestival.com, where participants can also register for the 5K run and purchase tickets to any of the week’s activities.

The Inaugural Hot Trot is sponsored by Publix Pharmacy, County Line Chiropractic Medical & Rehab Center, Grace Foods, Western Union, Digicel, National Weekly and WAVS Radio.

The event is produced by Jamaican Jerk Festival USA, Inc., in association with Jamaica Awareness, Inc.

For more information please contact Jamaican Jerk Festival USA, Inc., at 786-361-1103, email JerkFestivalinfo@jerkfestival.com or log on to www.jerkfestival.com