Marathon winner runs in under three hours

By Christopher Tobutt

Phil Reed won the Walkers Marathon on Sunday 5 December with a time of 2:56:48. After he got his breath back a little, Mr Reed commented: “I am very tired, but I am pleased with it.” Heather Francis was the first female, with a time of 3:35:52. Second and third male finishers were Conrad Proud with a time of 3:13:29 and Pete Liggins with a time of 3:31:13 respectively. Second and third female finishers were Sarah Wium with a time of 3:52:59 and Oddy Grullon with a time of 3:58:32.

Despite Covid restrictions leading to a staggered start in order to avoid crowding, more than 900 runners began the 26.2 miles of the Walkers Marathon, running along South Sound, and turning around near to Prospect Point. There were plenty of people taking part in the half marathon, too, and Adam Newman was the first male, with a time of 1:22:6. Elaine Anderson was the first female, with a time of 1:35:8.

Covid restrictions not only meant that the marathon and half-marathon had to be broken into different groups starting at different times, but it also meant that people couldn’t crowd together after the race, to have their photos taken with all the friends and family who came to cheer them on. But the race was still a lot of fun, with a cool breeze and just a light bit of drizzly rain towards the end, which helped cool the runners down. As always, there was a small army of volunteers all along the route, making sure the runners were safe and providing them with water and Gatorade.

Governor Martyn Roper, who is known to keep fit by running on Governor’s Beach in the morning, took part in the Jasmine relay team, along with Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee.

“Congratulations to everyone,” he said. “It’s become a classic event in our islands and it’s a shame this year we are obviously a bit limited in what we can do, but from what I have seen it’s been a fantastic success.”

The Governor added he thought Jasmine did an incredible job in filling a gap for end-of-life care.

“I think that they offer a wonderfully caring environment at that terribly awful time for people at the end of life, and for friends who are coming in, so I just want to show my support for what they do,” he stated.

In the four-person relay race, Team Walkers Running 1 came first, with a time of 2:57:49. Team CrossFit Cayman came second, with a time of 3:19:28, and Team KPMG came third with a time of 3:23:17.

The second male in the half-marathon was Gregley Gayle, with a time of 1:26:24, and the third male was Esmond Brown with a time of 1:26:47. Second female in the half-marathon was Michelle Vinton with a time of 1:41:9, and third female was Kym Bailey with a time of 1:42:41.