Runners conquer toughest Off the Beaten Track
Winning all-female relay team (L-R) Tiffany Cole, Mikaeyla Dacres, Molly Kehoe, Ava Hider and Kira Rabess with Kenneth Krys
(CNS Local Life): Participants in this year’s Off the Beaten Track 50km ultramarathon and relay took on the toughest course to date at the race, which was held Sunday, 28 February. The ninth annual event started at Tiki Beach and finished at Smith Cove, taking runners down parts of Seven Mile Beach, over ironshore and through the backroads, thick bush and fields of Cayman.
“We were so impressed by the resilience and adaptability of the runners,” race founder and CEO of major sponsor KRyS Global, Kenneth Krys, said in a press release. “Each year the new course puts their training to the test and this year was no different.”
Of participants that were brave enough to take on the entire 50km race by themselves, Phil Reed and Dan Kelley ran the race side by side, from the beginning, leading to a close finish for the two friends.
Reed crossed the finish line with a time of 5 hours and 36 minutes to claim the male solo runner first place trophy. Kelley finished just over 4 minutes later to take second place and Geoff Cornwall came in third.
Among the female solo runners, Natalie Mallinson took first, finishing in 7 hours and 18 minutes, followed by Karina McDermot and Kerri Kanuga in second and third place.
“Anyone who took on the entirety of the race by themselves deserves a massive round of applause,” Krys said. “Even the strongest marathon runner can be thrown off by the tricky navigation on this course.”
The Mourant Ozannes male relay team, comprising Neal Ainscow, Chadwick Webster, Hayden Isbister, Matt Volkwyn, Marius Acker and Patrick Harfield, were the first to cross the finish line with a total time of 4 hours and 28 minutes, followed by a team made up of Kevin Huys, James Murray, Alan Kenedy, Jason Windsor, Paul Skinner and Leo Kassam.
Major sponsors were able to choose one charity in the Cayman Islands which aligns with their community values to promote at their designated leg’s water station.
The Cayman National Cultural Foundation, nominated by Island Heritage, and Academy Sports Club, nominated by Tower, were chosen to receive the proceeds from the race along with Facing Africa, an international charity dedicated to helping children in Nigeria and Ethiopia affected by NOMA, a deadly infection that affects the face.
“We are thrilled to be able to support such amazing local and international charities who work so diligently to improve the lives of children,” Krys said. “It is important to us to ensure that we not only present team-building and self-improvement opportunities, through the race, but also take the opportunity to develop both our local and global communities.”
Category: Community, Fundraiser, Running, Sports
