One of the most popular running events on Island, the Fidelity Cross Island Relay, makes its return on 6 February. The event sees teams of six runners take on a course that stretches from Gun Bay on the eastern end of Grand Cayman all the way to Smith Cove in the west.
Just shy of 60 teams entered for the 2010 edition of the race, with organisers hoping to top 65 teams this year.
Teams vary in category and ability – from teams of top runners competing for the overall title to teams comprising parents pushing strollers. The corporate teams division is very popular and highly competitive as teams from many local companies push hard to see who can take a title as the fastest corporation in Cayman. There are also awards for the fastest school team, with all runners from the same school, as well as for the fastest all-female team.
Each leg of the event is roughly 4 miles long, although there is some variation. Among the highly competitive teams, selecting the right runner for the right leg is also important, as more time can be gained by having faster runners completing the slightly longer legs of the race. Teams even try to keep the order of their runners secret from other teams in order to gain every possible advantage on race day.
Although the event has been dominated by one team for a number of years, the 2011 edition promises to be one of the most competitive in a long time, as various ‘defections’ during the year seems to have resulted in a much more balanced distribution of running talent throughout a number of top teams.
Last year the winning team, Oceans 12 Beauties, blazed through the course in an amazing 2 hours 28 minutes and 48 seconds. The fastest individual leg was claimed by Scott Britain in a time of 21 minutes 52 seconds.
The first group of runners will set off from Gun Bay at 6am, with the awards ceremony scheduled for 10am at Smith Cove, where food and refreshments will also be served.
Pre registration for the event can be done on caymanactive.com, with late registration available at the packet pickup on 5 February at Camana Bay from 12pm to 4pm. The entry fee is CI$75 per team of six members.
The event is organised by the Cayman Islands Hash House Harriers, a group which aims to encourage fitness and running, but not at the expense of the socialising afterwards.
For more information on the Cross Island Relay, visit caymanhash.com or e-mail caymanhash@gmail.com