WILLEMSTAD — Curaçao will be dedicated this Sunday, January 25, to the 20th edition of Ride, Walk, Run & Swim for the Roses, a full day of sporting events aimed at supporting cancer patients and their families. The organization announced the program in a press release issued on January 19.
Throughout the day, participants will take part in walking, running, cycling and swimming activities, with all proceeds benefiting the Ride for the Roses and the Princess Wilhelmina Fund.
Start at Brionplein
The day begins at 7:00 a.m. at Brionplein with the start of the Walk and Run for the Roses. The official starting signal will be given by Mauritsz de Kort, who serves as patron of the Princess Wilhelmina Fund and will also participate together with his partner, the fund’s honorary chair.
Before the start, participants will join a collective warm-up session. Runners can choose between an 8.5-kilometer route over the Queen Juliana Bridge or a 5-kilometer route over the Queen Emma Bridge, both finishing at Mambo Boulevard.
For children up to 12 years old, a separate 2-kilometer run starts at 7:05 a.m. from the Chaya Willems School at the end of Penstraat. The first three female and male finishers will receive medals immediately after finishing, in collaboration with the Curaçao Athletics Association.
Cycling and Swimming Events
Cyclists will depart around 8:00 a.m. from the parking area of the Padel X courts opposite the Sunscape Hotel. This includes the 10-kilometer Easy Ride for children accompanied by adults, as well as the 40- and 60-kilometer routes on public roads. The cycling component is supported by Aqualectra.
The Swim for the Roses starts around noon at Zanzibar in Jan Thiel. Participants will swim 2.7 kilometers in open water to Wet & Wild at Mambo Boulevard. From 9:00 a.m., buses will operate from Mambo Boulevard to the starting location.
Children up to 12 years old can also take part in a 500-meter swim from the beach at the Lions Dive Hotel to Wet & Wild Beach.
Transport, Registration and Proceeds
Participants can park their vehicles in the Bapor Kibra area, where buses operated by ABC Busdienst will run from 5:30 a.m. to Punda. Alternatively, participants may park in Otrobanda or Punda and return to Punda for free after the Walk using shuttle buses.
All participants will receive drinks, fruit and a rose with a magnet at the finish as a keepsake.
Registration is available online via the Ride for the Roses website and in person at main sponsor Orco Bank at Landhuis Cerrito, where event T-shirts are also distributed. Additional registration and T-shirt pickup will be possible on Friday evening, January 23, at Sambil shopping mall.
The organization emphasized that the entire proceeds of the event will be used to support the Princess Wilhelmina Fund, ensuring continued assistance for cancer patients and their families on Curaçao.