Businessman Frank Flowers knows more than a thing or two about long running events.
The 57-year-old fitness fanatic, former marathon runner and keen swimmer is also the man behind Cayman’s Annual Flowers Sea Swim which, for the 13th year, takes to the waters off Seven Mile Beach on Saturday 18 June.
And Mr. Flowers says he has never missed a day’s running in nearly the last 30 years, clocking up thousands of miles in the process.
For many of those years he was putting in a punishing 120 miles per week.
Now, because of trouble with his knees, he is down to covering a mile a day.
And it was after going under the surgeon’s knife when he started having knee problems that he began to turn his attention to swimming.
The Flowers Sea Swim began all those years ago and has been increasing in popularity and prestige ever since.
Hundreds of swimmers participate in the ever-growing annual fixture which takes eight months to organise – largely under the capable control of Mr. Flowers’ daughter, Dara – and which features top prizes.
Amongst those prizes, US $20,000 is offered to any swimmer who can set a new World Open Water Record.
‘The event has grown in leaps and bounds over the years,’ says Mr, Flowers.
This year’s swim has been renamed the Flowers Recovery Mile Sea Swim and features a special post-race prize drawing in which three Caymanian families, hard hit by last year’s hurricane, will each win about $20,000 worth of living expenses for one year.
Social Services have provided the names of two needy families from each district and the winning three will be drawn from those 10.
The remaining seven families will each receive consolation prizes of vouchers and other things worth up to a total of more than $1,000, Mr Flowers says.
‘I am really excited. The response from the community has been overwhelming and I really wish to thank all the sponsors so much,’ he says.
Daughter Dara echoes those sentiments: ‘It’s really touching that at a time when so many people have lost so much there are still people and companies willing to donate.’
Because of the difficulties over the past few months Mr. Flowers says it has been more difficult to co-ordinate the event than before.
‘But I think it will be more worthwhile this year because it is in such a good cause,’ he says.
Mr. Flowers feels he would like to see the race retain some kind of charity role in the future.
‘We want to see the response of the public and if it works well we have other big plans of a similar sort of scope to help needy families,’ he says.
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