The Cayman Islands Marathon on Sunday, 7 December, 2008

The Cayman Islands Marathon (www.CaymanIslandsMarathon.com) takes place on Sunday, 7 December 2008, and consists of a full marathon, half marathon, four-person relay and Kids Fun Run. This will be the 6th annual event and this small boutique race is slowly drawing the attention of runners from all over the world.

The Cayman marathon presents an excellent opportunity for runners to vacation and run at the same time as the Cayman Islands is famous for its beautiful beaches, scuba diving and its tranquil environment. Runners can also enjoy some beautiful music at a concert under the stars during the Cayman Islands Jazz Festival which takes place on the same weekend (www.caymanislands.ky/jazzfest/) of the Marathon!

The race is owned and organised by Kelly Holding Ltd, an all-female event management company in the Cayman Islands, and is a charity event, with all proceeds going to the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. The 2007 race attracted over approximately 500 runners, over 100 of them coming from North America and Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. The international runners are impressed by the intimacy, professional organisation and spirit of the event, and many of them are repeat visitors. Here is what some of them had to say.

“I would like to congratulate you and all the other people involved in the organisation of this year’s race. I have run in numerous half marathons over the years and can honestly say that this one is in the top 2 or 3. It was very well planned; the route was beautiful; and above all, the water stations and the volunteers that manned them were absolutely fabulous! Next year I am hoping to run the full marathon…”
Roger MacMillan – Half Marathoner, Alberta, Canada

“Hats off to you and your OUTSTANDING staff! Kim and I had a terrific time in Grand Cayman. We will definitely come for another visit. We enjoyed the time there and the race was well done. We will definitely spread the word to run the race here in the Midwest. Thank you again, and tell your staff they are number one!”
Gina Wille – Half Marathoner, Illinois, USA

“Thank you so much for a truly wonderful event! I loved every single minute. The warmth of my welcome to the Cayman Islands has been special and I was so impressed with the organisation of your event and the spirit and humanity of all the people organizing and taking part.”
Julia Armstrong – Marathoner, United Kingdom, Elite Professional Runner and Coach.

“The course itself was spectacular, and the people along the course could not have been more motivating. The experience will be cherished forever, and what a way to enter my 40s. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful event!”
Pamela Loupelle – Half Marathoner, Alberta, Canada

“As a participant, I thought it was great. The communication before the race day was fabulous, packet pickup was all very organised. The Pasta party was a good opportunity to meet some of the other runners before the day, so it was good not to be a complete stranger on the day. The Water Stop Challenge is a brilliant idea as enthusiasm from bystanders etc goes a long way to helping runners on a longer distance race. The route was lovely running along by the sea, combined with a bit of running through town… I look forward already to hopefully coming back next year to do it all again and hopefully faster!”
Debbie Saint – Full Marathoner, West Sussex, UK

“I really enjoyed my visit and the race. What a nice and friendly gathering! You really put on a great race. Nice enough to think about next year! Great job on the results and getting them on the webpage. The splits are helpful as well. Thanks again for all your hard work that brought me to Grand Cayman.”
Andrew Kotulski – Full Marathoner, New Jersey, USA

Canadian author and veteran marathon runner Malcolm Anderson ran the 2006 Cayman Islands Marathon, and was so impressed that he decided to memorialize his experience in a book called The Cayman Islands Marathon Experience which documents the experiences of many of the runners in the race through testimonials and stories. The publication also contains anecdotes from the volunteers, the winners, the sponsors and the organisers and pictures from the event.

The Cayman Islands Marathon is indeed a fun run along a very flat course with a very scenic backdrop of crystal blue water and gorgeous flora and fauna. Awards are given in each age category for the first, second and third male and female for the full and half marathons while the first, second and third teams also receive prizes.

For more information about the Cayman Islands Marathon, log on to

CaymanIslandsMarathon.com or email

info@CaymanIslandsMarathon.com.