The Walkers Cayman Islands Marathon, held on 7 Dec., celebrated its 23rd anniversary by achieving a new milestone with a total of 1,650 participants across the full marathon, half marathon and four-person relay.
This year’s event marked the second consecutive year of record-breaking numbers, building on its legacy as a premier international running event.
The full marathon saw a record 121 entrants, while the half marathon surpassed the 1,000 mark for only the second time, hosting 1,105 runners.
The four-person relay also recorded its second-highest number of teams ever with 106 entries.
In the 26.2-mile full marathon, the top three male finishers and overall full marathon winners were Esmond Brown (02:53:02), Craig Derbyshire (02:53:47) and Andrew Morrison (02:55:01).
The top three female finishers were Jalene Cruz (03:26:03), Christina Marin (03:56:36), and Robyn Ross (03:57:17).
The 13.1-mile half marathon was dominated by Morgan McDonald for the men with a time of 1:08:27, followed by Maximilian Uttley (1:20:24) and Kian Lewis-Derbyshire (1:23:21).
For the women’s half marathon, Emily Clarke claimed first place (01:34:35), with Michelle Vinton (01:35:41) and Caitlin Murdock (01:37:06) completing the podium.
The four-person marathon relay overall title went to T Joe Holder’s Team with a finishing time of 02:55:05, just ahead of Team MuscleWiki (03:03:01) and Team Walkers Running (03:05:33).
Team Walkers Running also topped the corporate category, while Nikki Ogunnaike’s Team led the female category (03:53:18), and Team PHA won the mixed category (03:32:07).
The event’s continued success was highlighted by co-race director Rhonda Kelly of Kelly Holding Events and Communications, who expressed her pride, saying, “We are incredibly proud to celebrate our 23rd Cayman Islands Marathon with yet another record-breaking year, our second in a row.
“The continued growth of this event is a testament to the phenomenal support we receive from our corporate partners, the wider community, our dedicated volunteers and of course every single participant who laces up to run with us,” she said.
Kelly also noted the event’s growing international appeal, sharing, “We were especially thrilled to welcome close to 200 registered overseas runners, translating to roughly 500 visitors who travelled here specifically to be part of this experience. Their enthusiasm, alongside our local runners, reinforces the Cayman Islands Marathon as not just a race, but a vibrant, inspiring community tradition.”
Jalene Cruz does it again
Local runner Jalene Cruz delivered a commanding performance to successfully defend her title as the First Place Female Overall in the full marathon, finishing an impressive fourth place overall in the entire race.
Her winning time of 3:26:03 was just half a minute slower than her previous year’s personal best of 3:25:36, a result Cruz was “quite pleased with” given the “tougher condition this year [due to heat and humidity]”.
This win marks her second consecutive full marathon victory, following her female half marathon win in 2023.
Cruz, who has participated in the Cayman Marathon nearly every year since 2014 – with the exception of 2021 when she gave birth – said she was glad to be able to defend the title, particularly because she had been dealing with “some niggles since the start of the year”.
She added that finishing strong was her main goal, stating, “I would have been satisfied either way, as long as I finished strong.”
Reflecting on her victory, Cruz noted that she felt strong for three-quarters of the run but started to cramp at mile 22, which she said slowed her down “quite a bit”, making her final 5K her slowest segment, a stark contrast to last year’s negative split.
Despite the difficulty, the moment of crossing the line was pure joy for her. She stated, “Honestly, I was just so happy to be finishing and breaking the tape again.”
Cruz says she truly enjoys the Cayman Marathon because it “is home and gives me the chance to run alongside friends.”
She acknowledged the looped course and Cayman heat that can present a tough mental challenge, saying, “That’s also what makes it special – many runners shy away from doing the full here not only because of the course but also the heat. Having us start half an hour earlier makes a real difference.”
Cruz, who previously ran the half marathon while 21 weeks pregnant in 2020 – one of her favorite memories – also celebrated her friend’s victory, revealing she and female half marathon winner Emily Clarke “trained together almost every day this year” adding that she was “absolutely thrilled” when she learned Clarke had won.
Cruz, who is already registered for the 2026 Boston Marathon, has now qualified for the 2027 race due to her winning time this year.
Looking ahead, Cruz said, “I hope to continue running the Cayman Marathon for as long as my body will let me.”
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Rhonda Kelly is to be congratulated for nurturing this event from small beginnings into the major international event it is today.