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Legend has it that the first marathon runner dropped dead after completing his epic run. Then again, he didn’t have access to water stops every mile of the race, nor a dedicated team of volunteers helping to make his run smooth and enjoyable. In short, had Pheidippides, the legendary runner of the first marathon, been taking part in the Cayman Islands Marathon, he might still have been with us. Well, maybe not, as he would have been over 2,500 years old, but you get the point.

The Cayman Islands Marathon has become one of the most popular sporting events in Cayman over the last couple of years, drawing hundreds of participants, both local and international.

This year’s edition of the event will take place on 5 December, taking over the George Town waterfront for the day as runners take on the challenge of completing either the marathon, the half marathon or the team relay event.

The Cayman Islands Marathon prides itself on being a community-wide effort, with local organisations and companies manning the water stops along the route, while many of those living along the rules come out to cheer on the runners.

According to race director Rhonda Kelly and marathon information officer Bev Sinclair, the event owes much of its success to the friendly and welcoming people of the Cayman Islands, which is why involving the community in the marathon is such an important part of the organisation. Central to this are the volunteers who help out everywhere, from registration before the event to water stops during the event and support after the runners cross the finish line.

“We try to make the volunteers feel like they are really part of the event, because without them it just wouldn’t be the same,” says Rhonda.

Anyone interested in volunteering rather than pushing themselves through one of the challenging events can contact info@caymanislandsmarathon.com for more information on becoming a volunteer.

The entire spirit of the race is based on the friendly and open nature of the people of the Cayman Islands, which explains why visitors come back year after year to compete in the event.

Although strong overseas support is always important to an event like the Cayman Islands Marathon, Rhonda believes it is the core group of local runners who come back year after year who help to make the race what it is.

“We are so lucky to have such wonderful top local runners who are just great ambassadors for the sport,” she says.

She singles out runners like former marathon winner and course record holder Scott Brittain, women’s division defending champion Beth Schreader and perennial half marathon champion Marius Acker as examples of athletes who not only win the event and come back year after year, but who really add to the atmosphere through their open and friendly natures.

“Without the support of our local runners, we could not have been where we are today,” says Rhonda.

Although it might be a bit late to start thinking about doing the marathon, there are many other events apart from the full two-lap run.The half marathon is very popular, with participants walking or running the 13.1 mile course. The event has proven particularly popular with women, as Rhonda says some 60 per cent of the half marathon entrants last year were female.

If 13 miles still seems a bit excessive, the most sociable option is to take part as member of a four person relay team. The team can be composed of any mix of male and female runners, with each runner completing a touch over six miles.

Many companies enter teams, with some entering multiple teams for the event. It is a great way to promote employee health while at the same time building a team spirit. If the number of early registrations for the team competition are anything to go by, this section of the event will show aggressive growth this year.

Each team will be issued with one timing chip, which has to be handed from team member to team member. Some teams have the handover down to a fine art, losing virtually no time at all during the process, while others would rather forget the rather embarrassing fumbles when tired fingers cannot remember how to undo Velcro straps.

For the younger set, the Kids fun run, sponsored by the Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture and MILO, will take place at 10.30am, with free entry for children between 7 and 12 years old. Students can register through their schools or online. The school with the greatest number of participants will win a TCBY party, while each finisher in the 1/2 mile event will receive a t-shirt a runner bib and a medal.

This year will also mark the first time the marathon will include an official wheelchair division in the half marathon. Although wheelchair athletes have taken part in the last two years, this year will mark the introduction of official timing and prizes for participants in the wheelchair division. The organisers believe that this will not only open the event up to a new group of participants, but could also help to raise some awareness of the challenges many of these athletes face and how they overcome these challenges to cross the finish line as finishers.

The Cayman Islands Marathon is sponsored by Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture, Cayman National, Flowers Bottled Water, Gatorade, Digicel, Sagicor General, KISS 106.1 FM, TAG Heuer, Breezes by the Bay, cayCompass.com, Marriott Grand Cayman Beach Resort, RVC Rehab Services, Digital deSign, Dolphin Discovery, MILO, NCI Services, Quaker Oats, CUC, RE/MAX, KPMG, Arch Automotive, Scotiabank, Appleby, The Final Touch, GNC, Kelly Holding, and active.com.   WH

Online registration for all the events as well as more information on the events can be found at the event website caymanislandsmarathon.com