The Fidelity Fun Run series kicked off in exciting fashion on Saturday with perennial winner Marius Acker surprisingly beaten by newcomer Dominic Corbin.
Acker is Cayman’s reigning triathlon champion and even at 41 no local has come close to beating him at the annual event – although Johan Heath is gradually closing the gap.
Now that Scott Brittain has gone, Acker dominates local road running. The South African accountant is the fastest middle and long distance runner on Island but he uses the two-mile Fidelity runs merely as a training session.
Corbin tailed Acker throughout the race and had enough left at the end for a sprint finish to win by four seconds in 10 minutes 31 seconds. Andrew Keast was third in 11.07 and Chadwick Webster fourth in 11.19.
First female home was Laura Knox in 12.32. She was tenth overall. Emily Davies (13.28) and Tiffany Cole (14.06) were the next women to finish.
Corbin, 23, who works in the IT department at Cayman Free Press, said: “I’m not an experienced runner and had no real game plan when arriving, I just ran my race and tried not to lose the front runner.
“Marius is obviously the top runner in Cayman fun runs and racing him before I guess I was inspired to run harder. But this time I was more inspired to get back into shape after dislocating my kneecap three months ago, so I’m using the fun runs as an incentive.
“I thought I may be able to win the race when turning down the last straight into Denham Thompson Way. We were neck and neck approaching the road. So when seeing the finish line, I lengthened my stride – which makes a big difference when you’re 6ft 6ins – and that was enough to win.”
Corbin was pleased with his time and his knee is recovering quickly and he feels there’s some more left in the tank for the next two Fidelity runs from John Gray School this Saturday, 7.30am start and the following week.
“I know Marius is fast and I’m sure he’s going to run the next race even faster plus there are still other very fast runners, so I think it’s anyone’s race.
“I’ll be running 5k races this season, as at the end of the day they are fun and usually help worthwhile charities and causes. Cayman Islands Marathon is a big one for me as it kick started the sport of running for me last year, so I’ll be looking to beat my previous time.”
A former semi-pro footballer, Corbin remains a devoted Manchester United fan although arch-rivals City are officially the best team in the city at the moment having won the Premiership last term. Maybe Corbin should give Alex Ferguson a call as they look a bit suspect at the back. So which does he prefer, running or football? “Haha, running is easier on the knee. But football will always be my preference.”
Acker said: “Dominic is no newcomer on the Cayman running scene as he has run numerous 5Km races on Island. I’m better at the longer running events so I was not surprised to see Dominic in the mix with about 200 metres to go on Saturday.
“The Fidelity race is very short and does not fit well in my training preparation for the Cayman Islands triathlon coming up. I did a 40km bike ride after the Fidelity run to prepare for the triathlon.
“I pointed Dom out in the pre-race line up to Dave Walker as I nearly got beaten by him in the Earth Day 5km earlier this year.
“He shows a lot of promise. The triathlon and the half-marathon in December are the only races that are the only definites for me for the rest of the year in sport, along with the corporate tennis league during the week.”
Acker is Cayman’s reigning triathlon champion and even at 41 no local has come close to beating him at the annual event although Johan Heath is gradually closing the gap.
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