The 4km run began from Stint Corner and ended at Traffic Light in Fajara.
Organised on the theme ‘Run Against Discrimination,' the run is one of several runs to be organized monthly ahead of the maiden December run.
The media-run-challenge initiative is surrounded by three objectives; to raise funds to establish a Scholarship Trust Fund to support deserving journalism students and conduct capacity building for women, young and rural journalists.
The other aim is to encourage media personnel to develop high level of fitness, maintain their weight and keep a healthy body mass through daily or weekly exercise, while the third aim to enable media workers to gather, walk, run, exchange ideas, and network among themselves.
Mustapha Ceesay, president of MaJAC student union said the run will create a trust fund for MaJAC students who are struggling to pay their tuition fees.
“The trust-fund scholarship initiative will help to pay for deserving students at MaJAC. We are also going to build the capacity of women journalists, young journalists and journalists in the rural area.”
He said the other objective is to bring media practitioners together and organisations to socialize, network and to keep fit.
“According to WHO standards, every adult between ages of 18 and 64 should exercise 150 minutes and if you can’t do that you do a vigorous exercise of 75 minutes. Many of the media personnel are guilty of this and that is why it is important for them to come out here to burn the fat on them and also keep fit because it is our common saying that healthy body brings a healthy mind and a healthy mind is what is needed to balance and filter news and what quality information for quality decision making for those in the society,” he said.
Saikou Suwareh Jabai, a communication officer hailed the initiative which, he said will develop participants well-being as well as ensure they maintain health standards.
“The first edition for me was very great and the most important about this run is how we support each other. The run was not a challenge but more of a friendship-based, running solidarity, we support each other,” he said.
“The cheapest and easiest way to maintain a wealthy lifestyle is to do physical training and for me this is the most important thing,” he said.
Musa Sise, President of SJAG expressed delight with the turnout, commitment and courage that most sports journalists showed during the run as well as their enthusiasm to keep fit.
This he said, to him is not a run, but a healthy outing which brings together all journalists both old and young for the challenge.
Sang Mendy, organizer of the Media-Run-Challenge said “I am really surprised with the turnout, this is not the number I was expecting. Throughout my media campaign, we were targeting 25 to 30 people and looking at this number is close to 70 or more.”
He added that the second edition of the media-run-challenge has really impacted on the third objective of the challenge which is to bring people together, adding that they expected the next edition to be bigger.
“The other objective which is for the trust-fund is already on the pipeline as someone has already donated D5000 for the scholarship trust which we have not even created yet”, he explained, saying in two weeks time they will create and popularize the account so that people can start putting in the money.
MD Mendy expressed confidence that the will raise enough money for the trust-fund with the involve of the media.
Kaddijatou Jawo, a journalist who was one of the few female journalists to take part in the first edition which was more than 9km from Brusubi turntable to Fajara traffic light said she took part in the second edition so as to encourage her fellow female journalists to come and participate.
She expressed delight with the turnout and hope that the next run will gather more media practitioners.
