New Cayman resident Scott Brittain said that he felt he could break the course record in the Cayman Islands Marathon, and this past weekend he did just that, running 26.2 miles in 2:45:23 at a pace of just over six minutes, eliminating the previous record of 2:53:42 that was set by former resident Tony Keely back in 2003.
The Cayman Islands Marathon, half-marathon, team relay and Kids Fun Run took place this past Sunday, and with almost 450 runners actually finishing the race and 180 volunteers coming together to make it all happen, the event organizers are thrilled with the results.
Local tennis pro Eduardo Torres finished the marathon in second place, with a time of 3:06:23 followed by Chris Solarz of New York who finished a little over five minutes later. Andrea Kovach of Naperville, Illinois was the first woman to complete the long run in a time of 3:37:02 followed by Cayman resident Katrina Rowe (3:38:59) and visiting runner from the UK Debbie Saint (4:09:47).
Cayman residents Marius Acker and Maria Mays placed first overall in the half-marathon (13.1 miles) clocking times of 1:17:54 and 1:28:14 respectively. Both athletes were defending their titles as they won the same event in 2006. Russ Coleman (1:20:52) and Neal Coleman (1:30:12) of Grand Cayman claimed second and third place in the male category while Julie Stackhouse (1:28:29) of Jacksonville, Florida, who won the full marathon in 2006, and Beth Schreader (1:39:19) of Grand Cayman took second and place in the female category.
In the four-person team relay event, the Hy-Tech Tigers, comprised of young track and field athletes training under Coach Kenrick Williams, defended their 2006 title successfully, cruising to victory in a time of 3:05:23. The Walkers Double Yellows (3:06:20) finished second while veteran runner Roger Davies and his team of two 18-year olds and his 27-year old daughter, Team Scotia Select 18-63, completed the relay in a time of 3:16:28.
Other highlights of the race included the very popular Cayman Airways Water Stop Challenge which dared the water station teams to be the most enthusiastic and supportive toward the runners, and have the chance to win 5 CAL tickets. The runners voted for their favourite station and for the 4th year in a row, the Mexicans took home the coveted prize. Other remarkable water stops included Audi, Cayman Buzz, St. Ignatius Key Club’s Run Santa Run!, Incredible India and the Cancer Society’s Fruit of the Loom.
A Kids Fun Run sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Sports was introduced to the event this year, and was a resounding success. About 100 kids between the ages of 8 to 12 years old lined up at the Government Administration Building to run a half mile to the finish line at Breezes by the Bay Restaurant. The hearts of the spectators were warmed by their enthusiasm and spirit and many people confirmed the need for this race to be a permanent fixture in the event.
Many of the runners had interesting stories to tell of their journey toward the 26.2 mile run. Cayman resident Jim Fraser ran the marathon to raise funds for the Lighthouse School. He raised US$50,000 which will be used to build a multi-sensory nature garden for the students at the Lighthouse, and also a hydrotherapy pool.
Another resident, Erin Lynch ran her very first marathon for the Cayman Islands Humane Society. A volunteer at the Society’s shelter, it was during Erin’s training in the early hours of the morning on the roads of Cayman that she was inspired to use the 26.2 mile race as a way to raise money for the Humane Society. Her goal was $1000.
Over 100 people travelled to Grand Cayman to participate in the Cayman Islands Marathon or support someone who was running in the race. Many of them came specifically to run in the event.
Moira Morrison was one of those people. The 44-year old marathoner came from the UK to run the race after seeing it on AIMS, the leading marathon website. She said that she looks for interesting marathons to run and just recently ran the Athens Marathon.
Sixty eight-year old Andrew Kotulski from New Jersey chose to run his 591st marathon here in the Cayman Islands, while Suzi Melotti of Boston, Massachusetts travelled all the way here with four girlfriends to run the half-marathon in celebration of her 30th birthday.
There was no shortage of inspirational stories and personal victories to share around the finish line. Runners, spectators and volunteers alike enjoyed every moment of the day, and the introduction of age categories awards ensured that many more people came away feeling like winners even if they did not cross the finish line first.
The Cayman Islands Marathon was 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. All proceeds from the event will go to the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and the Cayman Islands Cancer Society.
The 2008 Cayman Islands Marathon, half-marathon, 4-person relay and Kids Fun Run will take place on Sunday, 7 December. Online registration, including early bird discounts, is now open at CaymanIslandsMarathon.com. For more information call Sue Greene on 946 8822 or email info@CaymanIslandsMarathon.com.
