She’s well-known for her incredible accomplishments as an extreme athlete, as well as her impressive efforts to support community causes.
Kerri Kanuga is a six-time finisher in the gruelling Badwater 135 ultramarathon, considered the world’s toughest foot race. The 135-mile route take runners through the scorching heat of California’s Death Valley and challenging terrain that covers three mountain ranges.
She completed the Spartathlon in Greece last year, a 153-mile race from Athens to Sparti, the first person from the Caribbean to complete the daunting course in its 41-year history.
Kerri has also represented Cayman in races all over the world, including Brazil, China and Africa. It’s a remarkable résumé, given swimming was initially her chosen sport. That changed in 2010, when she ran her first distance race, the Cayman Islands Marathon.
“Before I did my first marathon, I never dreamed I would complete one,” she says.
Kerri went on to compete in Off the Beaten Track, a 50K run, and then the Keys100, her first 100-mile race, from Key Largo to Key West, Florida. She has since completed more than 20 races of 100 miles or more, including the Tahoe 200 Endurance Run, which takes place around Lake Tahoe on the border between Nevada and California.
GIVING BACK
While the endurance athlete and owner/broker of Trident Properties is proud of her accomplishments, there is another aspect to her epic adventures that comes into play – giving back to the community.
She has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes over the years, among them St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which funds childhood cancer research, local animal rescue group Canine Friends, the Breast Cancer Foundation, and hospice care facility, Jasmine.
Her community involvement also includes sitting on several boards, such as the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, Rotary Cayman, Meals on Wheels, Junior Achievement and Cayman Islands Animal Rescue Enthusiasts (CARE).
“I have always tried to pay it forward, so when I see something that I can help with, I do my best,” she says.
All money raised goes directly to the chosen charities, as Kerri pays all expenses for her races and swim events.
Her distance swims include a double-crossing of the channel between Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, a 12.5-mile swim around Key West, and a series of solo swims circumventing Grand Cayman.
Combining her love of running and swimming, she launched the ‘Ker-a-thon’ in 2015, an endurance event that included a six-mile swim from Starfish Point to Barkers and back, followed by a 107-mile run – the equivalent of four back-to-back marathons.
In 2020, she swam 12.4 miles across the North Sound as part of ‘Making Waves for Charity’. The event, held during the pandemic, invited other groups and individuals to join a virtual run, or to walk/run in their neighbourhood or on their treadmills.
A moving moment came earlier this year when Kerri was presented with an award from Frank Flowers, founder of Flowers Sea Swim. The inscription reads: “In appreciation of your continued support of swimming in the Cayman Islands”.
“I cried – it was totally unexpected,” she says. “I am humbled and touched that my contributions are recognised.”
Another major honour came in 2021 from St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which recognises volunteers who go ‘above and beyond’ in the fight against childhood cancers. Kerri has raised funds for Hannah’s Heroes, a fund in honour of Cayman’s Hannah Meeson, a brain cancer survivor who was diagnosed at age four.
“I received the honour of being called up to the ‘Knights of the Bald Table, a noble rank among the valiant League of Legendary Heroes’,” she says.
RUNNING FROM THE HEART
She is now poised to raise funds for the Cayman Heart Foundation, with a 107-mile run – from Starfish Point to Barkers and back again – set for the May long weekend. It is a non-profit organisation that is close to her heart.
“When I was in Canada over Christmas, I learned one of my friends has a grandson who is in need of a new heart,” she says. “He is only three years old. I was very saddened to hear this, and I know there is a need in the Cayman Islands for these types of procedures.”
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Cayman. “I hope to raise funds and awareness,” she says. “This much-needed funding will go towards lifesaving tools, such as free health screenings, AEDs and assisting individuals who require treatment.” She is inviting other athletes to join her in the event, either the entire 107-mile distance or part of the distance.
In the meantime, Kerri has her sights set on running her 7th Badwater 135 as well as taking part in the next Spartathlon.
INSPIRING OTHERS
Not only are Kerri’s Herculean accomplishments impressive, but inspirational to others. She notes the dedication and discipline it takes to participate in these extreme athletic events – where she battles adversity and unrelenting elements – plays into other aspects of her life.
“How you do one thing is how you do everything, so I find the hard work I put into sport is reflected in my career and home life,” she says. “I truly believe that we are all capable of amazing things.”
This article originally appeared in Compass Media’s CayWoman newspaper supplement.
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