The marathon remains one of the most respected endurance events and little wonder. The legend of Pheidippides’ run from the Battle of Marathon to Athens tells how the messenger brought tidings of victory, before he promptly dropped dead.

Fortunately the Cayman Islands Marathon has water stops and medical assistance aplenty, so those trying to copy Pheidippides’ feat do not have to fear sharing his fate.

Background
The Cayman Islands Marathon first took place in 2002 and has shown strong growth throughout its existence, with the half marathon drawing the greatest number of participants. This year's event, which takes place on 6 December, leaving prospective participants with enough time to get out and prepare, at least for the half marathon distance.

Although many people attempt to jog the entire route, the half marathon is also a very achievable target for walkers, making it much more accessible.

Keeping it local
Local runners form the core of the event and the organisers measure their success by the number of runners and walkers who come back year after year to push for a better time or just enjoy the event.

According to race director Rhonda Kelly, the event always gets a lot of support from local runners.

“The local runners are really important to us. When they keep coming back, then you know you’re doing something right.”

The event also serves as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, which serves as a very big motivator for those hoping to make it into one of the world's biggest marathons.

International flavour
With 133 visitors coming over to participate in the event last year, the sports tourism angle is also very important to the organisers. With much of the northern hemisphere already receiving a fair sprinkling of snow when the marathon takes place, the event provides international participants with a very good excuse for a tropical island getaway.

“People come to the Cayman Islands to run and stay to enjoy the country,” says Bev Sinclair.

Visitors also like the fact that it is a relatively small event and can therefore give personal attention to each participant.

“Last year we did a special immigration line for them. A lot of them said they felt like rock stars,” says Bev.

The event was promoted at the Boston Marathon and London Marathon, with brochures being handed out at the Toronto Marathon as well.

“People found out about the marathon on Sunday, and they registered on Monday,” says Rhonda.

Course atmosphere
One of the positive aspects of the marathon is that most of the participants are in it for the experience, not to go for a win.
This creates a great atmosphere of camaraderie out on the course, with runners cheering one another on.

A favourite feature of the event and one that many runners comment on is the water stop challenge.

“The water stop challenge is one of the more popular elements of the event, with visitors and runners finding it very entertaining,” says Rhonda.
Although the competitors in the full marathon complete the same loop twice, this is not really a drawback.

“Many runners say it’s almost like two different courses, as the first time you run it in the dark, and the second time when it gets light,” says Bev.

Charitable suffering
The event not only benefits the participants, but also the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps, who are the charitable beneficiaries of the event. The donation to these charities is linked to the number of people taking part in the event, so the more people participate, the bigger the donation. The sponsors of the event help to make the donation possible through their assistance.

This year, the event is sponsored by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Cayman National, Flowers Bottled Water, Gatorade, Corona Light, Digicel, cayCompass.com, KISS 106.1FM, Sagicor, Breezes by the Bay, Marriott Grand Cayman Resort, TAG Heuer, Island Companies, VW, Quaker, KPMG, Tropicana, CUC, The Final Touch, RE/Max Cayman Islands, Esso and GNC.  

Volunteering
Not everyone out there feels the need to challenge themselves by participating in a marathon. However, there are other ways to be part of the event.
It takes hundreds of volunteers to make the event run smoothly.

“We have volunteers who have been involved with the event form the time we started. We try to take good care of our volunteers – we can’t do the race without them,” says Rhonda.

Volunteers receive special t-shirts and food on race morning, but most of all they get to be part of a great event without suffering the same pains as the participants the next morning.

Equipment
Running, unlike many other sports, is pretty light on equipment. A good pair of running shoes is vital, even though there are some runners who prefer to run in bare feet. However, with Cayman's heat and all of the running taking place on asphalt, the Cayman Islands Marathon may not be the best event at which to give barefoot marathon running a try.

Do not try to use a new pair of running shoes on race day, but rather use a pair you are well adapted to. This should help prevent blisters and injuries. A good pair of running-specific socks can also help.

Light, breathable clothing can help shade your body from the sun while allowing you to remain cool, where traditional cotton t-shirts can become heavy with perspiration and therefore uncomfortable.

Add a cap to shade your face, and a pair of sports sunglasses to block the rays and you are ready to take up the challenge.

Enter early
The earlier runners enter for the event, the lower the entry fee they will have to pay, which makes it well worth it to commit early. Runners who have participated in the event for three consecutive years will however be able to get the lowest rate all the way through the registration period, as a reward for their loyalty to the event.   WH