There will be no shortage of excitement when the Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon, Half-Marathon and 4-Person Relay happens this Sunday, 3 December starting at 5am on the waterfront. The public is encouraged to come out and support this great charity event which raises funds for the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and the Cancer Society as well as other worthy organisations.

At the time of writing, organisers confirm 109 full marathoners with almost 650 individuals registered to participate in the half marathon, and 80 teams entered for the relay, and the usual flurry of last minute entries is yet to come! More than 100 new registrations are expected to come in on the day before the race, which attracted just over 1300 runners in 2016, and is celebrating its fifteenth (15th) year. Between visiting runners, their families and supporters the race is bringing close to 500 visitors to the island, according to organisers.

The Kids Fun Run, sponsored by MILO and the Ministry of Youth & Sports, will start at 10:30am at the new Government Administration Building on Elgin Avenue and end just past the finish line on the corner of Cardinall Avenue and Harbour Drive. This event is free for students between the ages of 5 and 12 years old and is expected to bring in 300 kids.

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. The top three teams in the corporate, all-male, all-female, mixed and CUC High School challenge relay events will also receive awards.

Another exciting element that becomes more and more popular each year is the Water Stop Challenge – sponsored by Cayman Airways – where volunteers vie for runners’ votes and the chance to be lauded as the most exciting, enthusiastic and supportive water station. With water stop themes such as Emojis, 5 Star Service, Aloha H20 and Indian Water, runners are sure to be entertained on the course.

New this year for runners are bibs featuring a Cayman underwater image; coloured shirts and timing chips embedded in the bibs.

“It’s our 15th anniversary and we are looking forward to sharing this milestone with our runners, volunteers and sponsors and everyone who has supported us over the years,” said Rhonda Kelly, Race Director. “This event is so inspirational and at times so emotional. We are just thrilled to be a part of the triumphs and powerful moments that a lot of our local and visiting runners will experience this Sunday.”

And what great moments are expected!

Brittany Kahl and Adam Kremers from Denver, Colorado are both running the full marathon, getting married two days after the race and also hoping to qualify for the Boston Marathon;
Tammie Meisner from Woodridge, Illinois is turning 50 on the day of the race and chose to celebrate by running a full marathon with 30 of her closest friends who have either travelled to run with her or just to support;
Cayman resident Jayne Woollard is lacing up this year in honour of her sister who was diagnosed with breast cancer, and said all of her efforts and training were for her;
Half marathoner Katie Lee (Cayman) is raising money for a brain cancer charity after her friend was recently diagnosed with brain cancer
Caymanian Kristina Buckeridge says she has struggled with her weight her entire life but decided in January 2017 to take control of “this life-long plague”, and joined the CrossFit 7-Mile Couch to 5K (C25K) programme. She’s lost at least 30lbs so far and has set a personal goal to complete her very first half marathon;
Stephanie Rafferty from Pensacola, Florida ran the full marathon back in 2013, had a great time, and wanted to come back and try to beat her 2013 time;
Resident Carey McKee was attacked whilst running one morning but was determined not to let it stop her, instead setting the half marathon as her goal and her motivation to keep running;
Erin Henegan from New York City is running the full marathon after having reconstructive hip surgery in June 2016. The Cayman run has been her motivation to get back to doing what she loves.
John Cluley and his wife Wendy Wheless from Austin, Texas will be tackling the half marathon together. Wendy is 6.5 months pregnant, and just finished the New York City Marathon. Their planned ‘babymoon’ vacation to Cayman has now evolved into a destination race;
Russell Crumpler is a Hurricane Irma evacuee from the British Virgin Islands temporarily living in Cayman. He’s going to run the full marathon here in Cayman which takes place on the same day as the annual BVI half-marathon which will still happen this year he says;
This will be Canadian Emily Gardiner-O’Halloran’s first half marathon, and her goal is to complete it with a huge smile on her face. She will be celebrating her 40th birthday, overcoming a serious health issue and enjoying a well-earned holiday with her husband – the first without their two small children;
For Caymanian Nasaria Budal who has completed the half marathon twice before, this time around will be different and cathartic. Budal was diagnosed with clinical depression late last year, and has found that walking/running is one of her best outlets for getting through each and every day. “There’s nothing quite like a run to release negative energy, reconnect with my body, recharge my mind and restore my soul. So, for me, the marathon – each and every step – will just about complete my Year of Self-Love…and that’s a story I can’t wait to share.

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 3 December.

The race starts at on the George Town Waterfront, by Sharkey’s Restaurant (formerly Breezes Bistro) 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.

Late registration for the 2017 Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon, Half Marathon, 4-Person Relay, CUC High School Challenge and Kids Fun Run can only be done at the Westin Resort’s Galleon Ballroom on Saturday, 2 December during Packet Pick Up from 9am to 3pm.

The Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon is a Kelly Holding event and is sponsored by Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Flowers Bottled Water, BOB FM, NetClues, Webster’s Tours, Gatorade, Health City Cayman, British Caymanian Insurance, Cayman Cabana, Westin Grand Cayman, Bliss Living Yoga, Smoothie King, Cayman Airways, Ministry of Youth & Sports, CINICO, Cayman National, Massive Equipment, Hopscotch Productions, FastSigns, CUC, Phoenix Group, Cayman Compass, KPMG, Caybrew Light, Milo, Quaker, Explore Cayman, Netclues, eCay Trade, Mike’s Ice, Cost-U-Less, Reviv Wellness and Island Companies.

IMAGES:

Photos are of the Ristorante Pappagallo team, last year’s full marathon winner Steve Speirs from Virginia Beach (in orange) and Marco Miranda