Hundreds of spectators turned out this past weekend to cheer on approximately 175 runners in the 2nd Annual Cadet Corps Marathon which took place on Sunday, 7 December.

In the end, marathoners Tony Keely of Grand Cayman (2:53:42) and Tina-Louise Harris of Canada (3:45:36) and half marathoners Dave Walker (1:22:16) and Lisa Hoptroff (1:29:30) both of Grand Cayman, were victorious, capturing first place in their respective categories. Prizes included Cayman Airways return tickets to Chicago and Miami, gift certificates from local restaurants and custom made trophies and medals. A CUC-sponsored team of Cayman Islands Athletic Association athletes, ranging in age from 14 to 17, won the 4-person relay in a time of 2:58:14.

In addition, Martin Keely was presented with a glass-bottom kayak by Cayman Glass-Bottom Kayaks owner Mark Hennings who donated the craft as a prize for the first resident marathoner to finish.

There was no shortage of entertainment or inspiration along the race route for runners as they were cheered on by enthusiastic members of the 13 water stations along the course. Runners were asked to vote for the best water stop along the route with the winners receiving 5 CAL return-tickets. Viva Mexico! proved to be the most animated, winning the votes of the majority of runners.

Other interesting marathon stories included 59-year old John Wallace from Longboat Key, Florida who completed his 217th marathon in his 64th country. “This was a totally unscheduled marathon but it caught my eye and I thought I might as well cross another country off my list,” said Wallace.

There was Jonathan White, also 59, of Paterson, New Jersey, who chose the Cayman Islands to complete his 99th marathon and 30-year old Yoeri Geerits of Belgium who decided to run his first marathon in Cayman after years of working for the company which organizes the New York Marathon.

Preparations are already underway for the 2004 Marathon which takes place on Sunday, 5 December 2004, and many of the almost two dozen visitors who came for the race have indicated that they will be coming back for the long run.

“We had perfect weather, wonderful volunteers and keen runners. We couldn’t have asked for anything more,” says Rhonda Kelly of Kelly Holding Ltd., race organizers. “Having said that, our vision is to see thousands running through the streets of Cayman and now that we’ve wrapped up the 2003 Marathon, we’re looking ahead to promoting the 2004 race come January where we expect to see even more visitors join us.”

The results of the 2003 Cayman Islands Cadet Corps Marathon can be found on the official marathon website www.caymanislandsmarathon.com.

Marathon Results:

Half Marathon Results: