On Mother’s Day, Sunday, 10 May, Cricket Square in George Town transformed in the early morning hours from a quiet office park into a busy athletic event when hundreds of people poured into the curated parking areas. They were all there to participate in the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority’s 5K charity walk/run.
CIMA held its first 5K in May 2017 as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations and has been holding it ever since on a regular basis. The proceeds from the run will support literacy/numeracy programmes at local government primary schools and the Lighthouse School.
Eric Webster, acting chief human resources officer at CIMA, said, “Our 5K event transitioned into an annual event, thanks to the continued growing support received each year. This allows for the Authority to be a catalyst for social connection, economic activity and improved public health.”
He also explained why CIMA organises the run. “As part of the Authority’s Corporate Social Responsibility, the goal is to do our part in ensuring that the youths in the Cayman Islands have the opportunity to embellish on a solid foundation, albeit in this case, from an educational perspective – literacy and numeracy needs.”
CIMA received approximately 800 registrations for this year’s run and there was a friendly, relaxed energy throughout the event.
Tomeaka McTaggart, a runner who participated, said, “It’s amazing the number of people who get up at 5am to participate in these community runs, supporting local charities.”
“This speaks to the trust, enjoyment and support that persons have instilled in the Authority’s ability to host such an event,” Webster said.
The 5K kicked off at 6am on Elgin Avenue at the cross walk – the police had blocked the road since 5am to ensure the safety of participants – and the runners and walkers headed up Huldah Avenue, down Smith Road to Walkers Road, then back to South Church Street and into George Town before returning up Elgin.
As in previous years, water stops were located along the way to ensure everyone stayed hydrated and to encourage runners and walkers to keep going. These were manned by both CIMA staff as well as volunteers from the community.
Benefits to the community
Webster shared some of the benefits of the event. “Even though we present awards for the top finishers and offer prizes that are donated from various local companies, the event has shown to strengthen community bonds by bringing together diverse groups.”
Many runners commented on how much they enjoyed the event. Some said that these events gave them a focus to keep up with their running and others enjoyed doing something early on a Sunday morning with friends.
The CIMA team also enjoyed the event. Webster said, “Now in our eighth year of hosting the 5K, it has become a meaningful tradition for us, and each year we continue to appreciate the enthusiasm, teamwork and community spirit it brings.”
He added, “Initially, all volunteers, marshals and water stops were manned by CIMA staff; however, for this and the prior 5K events, we had persons from the sponsoring institutions assisting with our water stop stations.
“This shows that the support not only relies on financial means, but also with non-CIMA employees braving the early Sunday morning, rising to help make our event the success that it is. For this year’s event, we had representatives from Aetna and Maples who assisted with two of the four water stop stations.”
Awards
Top three overall finishers were:
Men
- Arno Jacobs (17:24)
- Abraham Whittaker (17:36)
- David Malimo (18:15)
Women
- Jalene Cruz (18:54)
- Lauriane Gowers (21:02)
- Vanessa Foster (23:13)
The age-category winners (in first, second, third order):
61-70 years
Men: Paul Williams, Steven Barrie, Lester Rouse
Women: Maria Leonce, Lyneth Monteith, Lynn Markoff
51-60 years
Men: Marius Acker, Marco Miranda, Ferdinand Rust
Women: Heather Francis, Sandra Dixon, Tomeka McTaggart
41-50 years
Men: Isaac Okwiri, David Walker, Desmond Mutava
Women: Katherine Gow, Tracey Walker, Tara Davidson
31-40 years
Men: David Milimo, Hussein Abbey, Nilantha Weerasinghe
Women: Jalene Cruz, Lauriane Gowers, Vanessa Foster
21-30 years
Men: Arno Jacobs, Abraham Whittaker, Liam Henry
Women: Elizabeth Shikonekeni, Giovanna Franco, Johane Olivier
13-20 years
Males: Ben Coak, Tobias Davies, Jaelon Hobson
Females: Gabrielle Hobson, Victoria Bouck, Jasmine Frederick
12 and under
Males: Fraser Gow, Baraka Kimathi, Rafe Anderson
Females: Isodora Badillo, Leilani Ayuma, Amara Smith
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Great turnout and some excellent times and congratulations to CIMA for organising this very popular annual event. I cannot resist in mentioning Maria Leonce first in the 61-70 age group, she never seems to miss a running event yet manages to run very fast times in her senior age group setting a great example for all to follow.