Haines completes first challenge in CCMI fundraiser
Derek Haines at the Lake Atitlan marathon
(CNS Local Life): Derek Haines finished second in his age group at last month’s Lake Atitlan marathon in Guatemala, a challenge he took up as part of fundraising efforts in support of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI). Haines, 68, ran knowing he already had a pledge of $15,000 from Butterfield Bank along with contributions from DART Cayman and Jacques Scott.
“This was my 46th marathon and the toughest yet,” said Haines, who completed the route in five hours and 10 minutes. “I would not argue with the fact that is billed as being in the top 10 most challenging marathon races in the world. It starts at 5,000 feet and contains some very steep slopes up and down the mountainous terrain. The winner came in around 3:30 so that is a good indication of how hard it was.”
Haines thanked his donors, saying, “[T]his has given the CCMI appeal a tremendous kick start to the target of $50,000”. He also said he was “extremely pleased” that Governor Helen Kilpatrick agreed to be the patron of his annual fundraiser.
In thanking Haines, Kate Holder, Director of Advancement of CCMI, said, “Derek really is a remarkable man, not only in terms of his athletic determination and abilities but also as a fundraiser. His endorsement of the Reefs Go Live programme is incredibly important to CCMI and there aren’t really enough words to communicate how grateful we are to him for making CCMI his challenge this year.”
The Reefs Go Live project allows CCMI “to teach science lessons from the ocean directly to students in classes via streaming technology”, she explained.
“We know we can help break down barriers and engage students into becoming better stewards of the ocean by exposing them to ‘reality’. We will be able to stream lessons to all the children in the Cayman Islands directly from Little Cayman but the project needs some high tech equipment to get started and Derek is championing this cause on CCMI’s behalf.”
Next up in in his fundraising quest for CCMI is climbing the volcanoes Agua (12,336 feet) and Acatenango (13,044 feet) in June, followed by running in the San Francisco and Cayman marathons on 23 July and 3 December, respectively.
Well done Derek! Your achievements are truly inspiring.