A record breaking crowd of over 2,280 people registered for Cayman’s biggest 5K event of the year, the Deputy Governor’s 5K Challenge run/walk.
The weather was perfect – sunny but not too warm – as the massive crowd set off down Elgin Avenue shortly after 6:30am on Sunday.
Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said, “I am so proud to see so many people coming out, getting their heart rate up, thinking about their health, but also giving back to the community.” He added, “Thank you Cayman, for making the DG’s 5K 2025 the best ever.”
As in previous years, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson was front and centre at the start of the race, alongside Governor Jane Owen, and they were flanked by a number of chief officers from various government ministries.
Once the race got underway, it was a sea of blue shirts as participants moved down the road from the Government Administration Building towards the Cayman National Bank roundabout.
At the roundabout, they travelled down Huldah Avenue and then on towards South Church Street and Harbour Drive, before looping around and heading back towards the Government Building for the finish line.
The overall winners in the Male and Female categories were Teddy Mercer, with a time of 16:47, and Emily Clarke, with a time of 19:55.
Running in the 11- to 13-year-old category, Amelia Marriott also ran a tremendous race, finishing as the overall second female to cross the line, in a time of 21:46.
This year, the funds collected from the DG’s 5K Challenge will go towards three charities: the Cayman Islands Scouts, the Girl’s Brigade Cayman Islands and one2one Cayman.
Formerly Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cayman Islands, one2one Cayman provides mentoring and support to children, youth and young adults to overcome obstacles, build life skills, and help them realize their potential.
Manderson extended his gratitude to sponsors, volunteers, and every participant “who made this achievement possible”.
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A great achievement in attracting so many entries, but to be fair it should be mentioned that over 800 did not actually run the event. However the non runners were motivated to enter in order to support the charities and should be commended for that.