Cayman lawyer to go round the world in 7 marathons in 7 days

As New Year’s resolutions go, this one is hard to top.

Cayman Islands lawyer Andrew Keast aims to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents to raise money for breast cancer sufferers on the island.

From the snowy vistas of Antarctica, through the desert city of Dubai to the home-stretch along Miami’s South Beach, the 47-year-old is seeking to conquer the world in a week.

Keast, a partner at Maples and Calder, and around 40 other competitors will nap on the specially chartered plane between races in an around the world scramble.

Like an elite SEAL team dropping into foreign territory for a specific mission, they will be in and out of each location in just enough time to complete the 26.2 mile races.

Keast aims to run each consecutive marathon in under four hours – enough time for a stretch and a cool down – before clambering back on the jet to sleep and repeat the feat in another part of the world.

“There is no point in trying to get used to the time zone because it is constantly changing. It is just going to be a case of catching as many hours sleep as you can between races and then getting up and doing it all again.”

Keast, a former winner of Cayman’s Off the Beaten Track ultra marathon, has been putting in 20-mile days, running along West Bay Road and around the lanes by Safehaven. The heavy schedule has improved his stamina, with the added advantage of improving his napping technique.

“I’m so tired I can pretty much fall asleep anywhere,” he said.

Both will be tested to the max when the global race series starts in Novo, Antarctica on 31 Jan.

From there, the unique jet-setting challenge takes in Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid and the Brazilian city of Fortaleza, before ending in Miami. Around 40 endurance athletes are expected to take part.

As a naturalised Caymanian, Keast will be flying the Cayman flag in the event, which is in its sixth year, and will be the first ever Caribbean competitor.

He is running for the Cayman Islands Breast Cancer Foundation and has, so far, raised $22,500 in sponsorship.

Keast ran five marathons in five days in the US as a warm-up last year and feels confident about his physical ability to complete the challenge. He is most nervous about the conditions he may face in Antarctica and the possible impact of jet lag and sleep deprivation.

He said his focus will be more on slow and steady to finish the races, rather than record-breaking times.

“My main aim is to make sure I don’t get injured as the goal is to complete all seven” he said.

The climate could also be a challenge, with Keast and his fellow athletes moving from sub-zero Antarctic temperatures to a blazing Australian summer in the space of 48 hours.

An Aussie by birth, Keast is looking forward to a brief homecoming on the third leg of the race in Perth. Family and friends will be there to cheer him along the route, beside the Swan River, and he hopes to finish fast enough for some time to catch up at the finish line.

The Madrid race – along the old route of the Spanish Grand Prix – and the Dubai marathon, in the shadow of the Burj-al-Arab hotel –  could also be highlights.

“It is going to be a little snapshot of the world. There’s a few countries in there that I have never been to before,” he said.

The final run along South Beach in Miami will be more familiar.

“It will be really good to finish in Miami. That’s kind of our backyard and it will be nice to have friends and family there for the home stretch,” he said.

Keast said the experience of a close friend, who is going through breast cancer, and concern about the apparently high rates of the disease in Cayman, had inspired him to support the charity.

More information at www.breastcancerfoundation.ky/world-marathon-challenge.