Members of the local fitness community are out to help runners prepare for the Cayman Marathon.
The Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon, Half-Marathon and Four-Person Relay is just under 11 weeks away and there are a number of fitness centres on island who are stepping up and offering their services to help both novice and veteran runners train for the event and achieve their personal goals on Sunday, 4 December.
Over the next 10 weeks Laura Ribbins of Fitness Connection will be offering training sessions specifically to develop people who are running the full or half marathons. Ribbins has been helping people prepare for the Marathon since the race’s inception.
Ten percent of each paid session will be donated to the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, one of the beneficiaries of the Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon. Training options include one-on-one athletic training, partner athletic training and group core and flexibility training.
ENERGY Studio is also offering four 10-week programmes leading up to the long run. Athletic Core Training, Reformer for Runners, Partner Training and Personal Training are all classes available to persons interested in expert guidance as they prepare for any of the races. All sessions are led by certified trainers and, according to ENERGY facility manager and instructor Colleen Brummer, participants can expect to see an improvement in their overall fitness level after the 10 weeks.
“This year, at ENERGY, we are focusing on helping runners get to the finish line in the strongest possible condition,” Brummer said. “We’re creating programmes that will help them increase core strength and stability, total body flexibility and stronger muscle balance to decrease chance of injury, especially as they work through the next 10 weeks of their training programmes. Our four training options allow people to choose not only the training environment they want (large, small group or partner/private training) but also a programme that fits their budget.”
Bliss Living and Yoga is showing their support for the event by offering a free class to all participants registered for the marathon. In addition, the yoga studio will be adding three runners’ classes to its fall schedule starting in mid-October for six weeks leading up to the marathon. As Bliss owner Janelle Kroon states, these sessions will be very specific to runners’ needs in strengthening, stretching, breathing and resting.
“Having a yoga practice whilst training for a long run or marathon or simply having a regular running routine is the perfect balance to be able to maintain a high level of performance and long term joint, connective tissue and muscle health sustainability,” Kroon said. “When you practice bringing your body back into optimal balance and alignment through stretching, strengthening and anatomical awareness, you can be sure to be running for years to come. At Bliss we have seen runners and other athletes improve in their sport dramatically with a regular yoga practice.”
Specific instruction for the Runner’s Yoga (Marathon Prep) classes at Bliss will target the places in runners’ bodies that tend to become inflexible, strengthening the body and mind and also breath work to increase lung capacity. In addition to physically counteracting the strains of running, yoga teaches the cultivation of body wisdom and confidence. As runners develop a greater understanding of the body and how it works, they will be able to listen and respond to messages the body sends them.
All in all, the support of the fitness community is a comforting sign for race director Rhonda Kelly.
“We are so excited to hear about these fitness centres that have offered guidance and support to people who are interested in participating in the Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon,” Kelly said. “There are so many people who are unsure about how to train, whether they are doing it right or doing enough and then there are those who might not have the support system and need some motivation.
These programmes are a great way to meet new people, learn some useful training tips and prepare both mentally and physically for the event. I encourage everyone, especially novice runners, to sign up for one of these programmes and expect great results on Sunday, 4 December.”
Registration for the 2011 Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon, Half Marathon, Team Relay and Kids Fun Run is open online at CaymanIslandsMarathon.com. Walk-in registration can also be done at the Kelly Holding office.
The Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon is also sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Flowers Bottled Water, Gatorade, Digicel, Kirk Freeport, Breezes by the Bay Restaurant, Cayman First, Cayman National, CayCompass.com, Conyers Dill and Pearman, Cayman Airways, NCI Services, 106.1 KISS FM, Marriott Grand Cayman Resort, Dolphin Discovery, Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports and Culture, Kelly Holding Ltd, FastSigns, Tropicana Tours, RVC Rehab Services/BioFreeze, Milo, KPMG, Quaker, CUC, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Scotiabank, Ernst and Young, Caybrew Light, Smoothie King, Harneys, Coca-Cola, KRyS Global and The Final Touch.
For more information email [email protected] or call Bev Sinclair on 946-8822.
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