The Cayman Islands Marathon, Half-Marathon and 4-Person Relay takes place this Sunday, 7 December starting at 5am in front of Breezes By The Bay Restaurant on the waterfront. The public is invited to come out and support this great charity event which raises funds for the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and the Cancer Society.
At the time of writing organisers confirm 65 full marathoners, 300 individuals participating in the half marathon and 36 teams registered for the race, a significant increase over the numbers from last year, and the usual flurry of last minute entries is yet to come.
The Kids Fun Run, which was introduced last year, and is sponsored by the Ministry of Sports and Education, starts at 9:30am at the Government Administration Building (Glass House) on Elgin Avenue and ends at the Breezes by the Bay finish line. This event is for children ages 8 to 12 years old.
The top three male and female marathoners and half marathoners in the 29 and under, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60 and over age categories will be awarded for their achievements as well as the top three teams. In addition, the top male and female marathoners will win a TAG Heuer watch courtesy of Kirk Freeport, the top male and female half marathoners will score two iPods donated by Audiophile and the top team will win Maui Jim sunglasses from sponsor Island Companies. One lucky volunteer will receive an iPod Shuffle from CyberJoes.
Another exciting element each year is the Water Stop Challenge where runners vote for the most exciting, enthusiastic, supportive water station. The Mexicans are usually the station to beat every year but for the first time in five years the Mexicans will not be competing which opens the door for a new Water Stop Champion which will win a US$2000 travel voucher courtesy of Cayman Travel Services. Steel Attitude, Sabor Colombiano, J’ouvert Run and Team Audi are just some of the groups vying for the top spot.
“We are looking forward to a fun, safe and exciting race this weekend,” says Race Director Rhonda Kelly. “This event is so inspirational and at times so emotional. We are just thrilled to be able to share these milestones and great moments with our runners.”
And what milestones they are! There is 74-year old Robin ‘Redhat’ Wilson who will be running his 340th marathon here in Cayman and celebrating his 46th wedding anniversary with his wife. Then there is husband and wife Dave and Linda Major from the UK who will be doing their 300th and 204th marathons respectively. Half marathoners John and Laurie King are looking forward to returning to the Cayman Islands 21 years after they honeymooned in Grand Cayman while Ryan Chalmers and Brian Siemann will be the first wheelchair athletes to compete in the Cayman Islands Marathon. Last year’s marathon winner and record holder for best time, Scott Brittain, will be competing to retain his title while 14 year old Courtney Deniston and 12 year old Paul Deniston from Chicago will be running their very first official race with their father as part of a team.
Organisers would love to see another exciting photo finish like that of the half marathon last year when current record holder Maria Mays (1:28:14) just nudged out Florida runner Julie Stackhouse (1:28:29) who also holds the course record for the full marathon from 2006. Marius Acker is expected to defend his Half Marathon course record of 1:17:54 as well.
Organisers are asking for the public’s cooperation during the race by keeping traffic along the race route to a minimum, and in particular those people who live along the route are being asked to secure their dogs in their yards, and turn on their Christmas lights if they have any from 4:30am on the morning of the 7th.
The race starts at Breezes and goes through South Church Street, South Sound and Old Prospect Road, after which runners turn around and go back through South Sound and then onto Walkers and Hospital Roads, Elgin Avenue, Edward and Fort Streets and back to Breezes.
Registration for the Cayman Islands Marathon, half-marathon, four-person relay and Kids Fun Run is still open at CaymanIslandsMarathon.com. Participants can also do walk-in registration at the Kelly Holding office or at the Grand Cayman Marriott on Saturday, 6 December between 10am and 4pm. For more information email info@CaymanIslandsMarathon.com, log on to CaymanIslandsMarathon.com, or call Sue Greene on 345.946.8822.
The Cayman Islands Marathon is sponsored by Digicel, Department of Tourism, Ministry of Education, Gatorade, Flowers Bottled Water, Corona Light, Cayman National, Atlantic Star Limited, Sagicor, Breezes By the Bay Restaurant, Cayman Free Press, Kirk Freeport, 106.1 KISS FM, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, Island Companies, ESSO, BioFreeze/RVC Rehab Services, Quaker, Red Sail Sports, CUC, Royal Bank of Canada, Audi, Tropicana, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Million Dollar Run, Inc. and The Final Touch.
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