Many people may not be able to run a full marathon of 26.2 miles or even a half marathon but the organisers of the Cayman Islands Marathon are urging local businesses to round up members of their staff and get them on the road to better health, fitness and group camaraderie through a team-building activity, namely the four-person relay.
In the team relay each person runs approximately 6.5 miles which is a lot more manageable, and a great way for novice runners to get their feet wet.
Last year 37 teams participated in the relay, the majority of them coming from local companies around the island with some firms, such as Walkers, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG and Greenlight Re, sponsoring more than one staff team.
‘I really enjoyed taking part in the Cayman Islands Marathon as part of a team,’ says Caroline Chaloner, an attorney at Walkers who ran for the Walkers Double Yellows that placed second overall in the 2007 race.
‘The camaraderie amongst the team was great and it was exciting once we realised that we were in with a good chance to medal in the team event. I definitely felt inspired to run well and put in a good time so that I didn’t let my team-mates down.’
Corporate sponsors of the Cayman Islands Marathon have also enhanced their support by encouraging their employees to run the race.
RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Audi, 106.1 KISS FM and Gatorade have all had teams participate in previous races.
This year, Corona Light, first time marathon sponsor and official beer for the race will be entering a team to underscore their support for the event.
‘We are pleased to be providing the official beer for the Cayman Islands Marathon, and partnering with the organisers to enhance the runners’ post-race experience,’ said Matt Bishop, General Manager for Cayman Distributors, supplier of Corona Light in the Cayman Islands.
‘We also thought it would be worthwhile for members of our staff to get involved with the event so that they can understand the value of the sponsorship and also feel as if they are giving back to the community.’
Chrissy Waddell, a self-proclaimed on and off runner for the past five years will be part of the Corona Light team. She is training vigorously for the relay challenge and is excited about the race.
‘I decided to do the team relay because I have always wanted to participate in a marathon,’ says Waddell. ‘This is starting small but I figure it will help me work my way up to doing a full one in the future. It is also for a good cause so that helps to motivate me as well.’
Waddell says her goal for the race is to do her best and have fun. ‘As long as our team does its best and finishes the race, I will be very happy. For me, this isn’t a win or lose situation; it’s about supporting a great cause and putting in a good effort.’
Chaloner will not be part of a team relay this year, instead opting to run the half marathon but she has nothing but positive memories from her experience and encourages local companies to get their staff involved.
‘The four-person relay event in the Cayman Islands Marathon is an excellent team building opportunity for local businesses.
‘It is not such a long distance that non-runners couldn’t face the challenge, but long enough to gain a sense of achievement from completing the race if you are a novice, and a challenging race distance for regular runners. Also, if you provide your team with company-branded T-shirts and caps it couples as useful marketing exposure!’
Online registration for the Cayman Islands Marathon, half-marathon and four-person relay is available at CaymanIslandsMarathon.com.
Participants can also do walk-in registration at the Kelly Holding office.
For more information log on to CaymanIslandsMarathon.com, email [email protected] or call Sue Greene on 946.8822.
The Cayman Islands Marathon is sponsored by Digicel, Department of Tourism, Ministry of Education, Gatorade, Flowers Bottled Water, Corona Light, Cayman National, Atlantic Star Limited, Sagicor, Breezes By the Bay Restaurant, Cayman Free Press, Kirk Freeport, 106.1 KISS FM, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, Island Companies, ESSO, BioFreeze/RVC Rehab Services, Quaker, Red Sail Sports, CUC, Royal Bank of Canada, Audi, Tropicana, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Million Dollar Run, Inc. and The Final Touch.
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