The Cayman Islands Marathon is just six weeks away on Sunday, 2 December and for some, the excitement of the event is not what is happening on the road during the race but the activity taking place at the side of the road as the wildly enthusiastic volunteers at the water stations vie for the title of Best Water Stop in the Cayman Airways Water Stop Challenge.
For the past three years the national flag carrier has offered 5 free airline tickets to the Best Water Station as voted by the runners themselves. Incidentally, every year the coveted title and prize has been bestowed on a few members of the local Mexican community who have out-cheered, out-danced and out-sung everyone else at their Viva Mexico! water stop, thrilling runners and spectators alike.
This year the Mexicans are back to defend their title once again and organizers are looking for individuals who are interested in challenging and ultimately dethroning this group of exuberant men, women and children who encourage runners’ votes with peppy Mexican music, loud shrieks of support and even a Chihuahua!
“One of the most important elements of a marathon is the water stops. Any runner will tell you that it is essential to his/her successful completion of the race. The Mexicans have become a staple of this event and truly a favourite of our repeat runners,” says Race Director, Rhonda Kelly. “Not only are they entertaining but they know how to support the runners by efficiently giving them what they need to complete the race. We are looking for more teams like the Mexicans to enhance the race.”
Any person over the age of 18 qualifies to lead a water station team and all marathon volunteers get a T-shirt too. Kelly is encouraging groups of five or more people to apply to work at a water stop or volunteer for any part of the race. Application forms for water stops and all volunteers are available on the CaymanIslandsMarathon.com website.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a company or just a group of friends. The goal is to have the most creative, motivating and exciting station. The only qualifications needed are a lot of enthusiasm, willingness to help and the ability to get up at 4:00 in the morning!” she explains. “We want people who are going to cheer the runners on and find creative ways to enhance their stand. They have got to be able to motivate the runners to run that next mile and finish the race.”
Online registration for the Cayman Islands Marathon, half-marathon and four-person relay is available at CaymanIslandsMarathon.com. Participants can also do walk-in registration at the Kelly Holding office. For more information log on to CaymanIslandsMarathon.com, email info@CaymanIslandsMarathon.com or call Sue Greene on 345.946.8822.
The Cayman Islands Marathon is sponsored by Digicel, Department of Tourism, Flowers Bottled Water, Progressive Distributors/Gatorade, Deloitte, Cayman National, 106.1 KISS FM, Cayman Airways, Cayman Free Press, Kirk Freeport, Sagicor, Breezes By the Bay Restaurant, BioFreeze/RVC Rehab Services, Grand Cayman Marriott Resort, Island Companies, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Audi, ESSO, Red Sail Sports, Royal Bank of Canada, CUC, Tropicana Juice and The Final Touch.
