Cayman Islands marathons/road races
John Henry Ebanks writes: Hearty congratulations to all who participated in the most recent Cayman Islands event. This annual event, while seemingly enjoyed by the participants, does not contemplate the disruptive effect that it has on the public, particularly in areas of the Capital where roads are blocked off, which not only creates a maze of turns and stops for traffic but also delays travel to church and other family activities of residents living in the path of the marathon.
This marathon, in particular, was one where blaring music was being played by the old John Gray High School campus on Walkers Road, a feature not much welcomed. Marathons are good activities and serve useful purposes; however, there is no playbook that says that the course taken has to continue to be the only route.
Why can’t the marathon be held in the eastern part of the island, thus providing not only varied scenery but also giving the opportunity for adjunct activities to be carried out in these areas and giving residents there a chance to participate?
Busing marathon participants to and fro should not be an insurmountable task if properly planned, and again, it would be a nice respite for participants.
The long and short of this missive is to fervently encourage the creation of a marathon course outside of George Town for the reasons mentioned and to preserve sanity and observe some degree of peace and tranquillity as one tries to enjoy, at least for one day, less pain in traversing the streets in town.
The ringing of Sunday morning Church Bells has ceased for many years now, but let us try and keep a little peace in the capital for at least every Sunday of the years to come.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Viewpoint
There is gov tracks and school tracks.
Run on that, not in the road.
So stupid…..Act like there’s nowhere else they can pop these money-grabbing programs.
gov tracks- public not allowed
school tracks- do adults not run? didn’t realise the marathon runners were all school kids.
There are the hard shoulders you could run on, but dangerous due to drivers using it as an extra lane to undertake other cars, while texting in one hand.
Hence the high proportion of obeses people going in and out of the government building.
Hence why only 2 MLA’s aren’t obese, and CINICO bills are so high
Nice to see the rude knee-jerk responses from skinny, boring, vegan, expat runners cowering behind anonymity. Mr Ebanks is entitled to his view and to express it, which he did politely and, in my view, convincingly. Which is more then can be said for you lot.
The irony of an anonnymous poster calling out peoples anonymity.
Presumbly you’re not one of the East End residents Mr (alledged) Ebanks is happy to inconvenience with his compelling argiment.
Exactly!
Says the anonymous poster.
That’s the thing about the marathon. It has lots of locals, local residents, and visitors. I implore you to look at the names and photos. Plenty Caymanians, and plenty of non-skinny people, just doing it because they want to.
Two Caymas, Batabano, Miss Cayman slo-mo horn honks, two Pirates Week Parades…all of these involve road interruptions, but our “John Henry” is silent on those.
I don’t know about John Henry, but if you add all of the events you mentioned plus Public Holiday displays in town, Christmas events and seemingly countless other excuses to drink excessively, he does have a point. It’s not that I’m against the Marathon or any of these types of events, but Grand Cayman has grown so much that they do in fact disrupt far more people than who enjoy them. Maybe there should be more thought to approving these events, or at least in moving them elsewhere. Obviously, the Marathon can’t really change, so maybe that’s one of the exceptions, but do we really have to have street dances in George Town anymore? Can the maybe be moved elsewhere, where they won’t disrupt the lives of so many?
wait a minute now so that man and other caymanians must sacrifice just to appease your altruistic charitable cause. Man you beta leave ya dont stay here no mo , before we have to hurry you out by Cat Boat, if any to be made available. You know waht is true ona people reaally beginning not just to smell ona rank, but just down right rank a pee and more. keep it up. soon come.
The problem is that there is no where in Cayman if you want to go run or ride a bike safely for more than 1 mile at a time. Everything is being sold off to developers. No more 7MB because the government decided to ignore safe setbacks for hard structures. No promised bike lanes or even road markings demarcating shared use of a space. No sidewalks because the government got lobbied by developers who are building multimillion dollar homes to not spend a couple of thousand dollars more to put a sidewalk in front of their house. No enforcement of no dumping in Barkers and no policing either, which makes it very unsightly and unsafe to walk or run there. Selling off Matilda’s ponds and other dyke roads that people use to walk, run, go with their kids, walk their dogs etc. The only thing there is room for in Cayman apparently are cars and concrete structures.
A Small Caribbean Island feel is gone for good. And this is truly sad. Run your marathons in big cities you came from. Don’t bring your urban habits to a small island. Need to raise money for a cause? If the cause is related to expats, organize it in your home country. If the cause is caused by Grand Cayman overpopulation – pollution => cancer, heart disease etc. address the pollution first.
#Caymanmean
Old man yells at cloud.
It’s a small marathon of around 1000 people. Non-residents are stayover tourists, and putting money into the Cayman economy. The charitable causes usually help Caymanians disproportionately already, as many ex-pats, should they have a cancer/heart disease etc in the future, won’t be here for treatment. As for pollution, in terms of littering, look closer to home, and if you doubt it’s a Caymanian problem, take a look at a government school campus after lunch.
Or the beaches and campsites after Easter weekend
Caymankind
Mission accomplished I had a viewpoint on an event and expressed it. It was not disrespectful, neither was it derogatory or insulting as has been the stance taken by some.
One day, one hour one minute of delay can have a tremendous impact in a myriad of situations. Let us all be mindful of decency and respect for all who we share this land with for it is not only an important historical and cultural aspect of these beloved islands, but one which has brought us this far.
Peace be with Y’all.
Great comment.
Anonymous insults speak volumes.
P.S. Diplomacy, tact, manners and etiquette course was mandatory in my school. I am not 85, if you wonder.
It’s one day a year for the marathon, so shutting the roads while inconvenient is tolerable. However, I do agree that more consideration should be shown with respect to the playing of loud music – it is unnecessary.
In big cities or territories with lots of roads, yes, but not in Cayman.
You can still make it to the Honolulu annual marathon
I cycle almost everyday at 0500, I went on Sunday and heard the loud music coming from town and saw the signs. I returned home because most of those runners seem to lose their road sense and seem to think that all vehicles must give way to them. I don’t begrudge them having their day but does anyone brief them on safety? I did my ride later to avoid them and thankfully there was a cool breeze, but honestly I stay away from that route and event because it is just too dangerous both for the runners and traffic. The whole route should be closed to all traffic.
I hope that the irony of a cyclist posting “because most of those runners seem to lose their road sense and seem to think that all vehicles must give way to them” is not lost on you. You’re absolutely correct in your statement, however that is the same experience many drivers have of many cyclists.
And runners have of drivers.
Not quite. Drivers are sat comfortably in a steel cage expending zero personal exertion, and by Traffic Regulations, owe a full yard of safe distance to pedestrians and cyclists.
No, they owe 5 feet of distance, plus the cyclist is told (by the regulations) to be at least 18 inches out from the road. Add the width of the cycle and cyclist and that means, always, that the motor vehicle must go onto the other side of the road to overtake, yet all too often we see motorists try to close pass a cyclist as there are vehicles coming the other way.
There are some crazy cyclists. I commute to work on a bicycle and I am often faced with a cyclist on the wrong side. But your irony statement is misguided. There are far more disrespectful drivers towards cyclists. Cayman is so good for cycling and now we have e-bikes it is begging to be the primary mode of transport, yet government does nothing to make it safer for cyclists.
I drive to work and I am often faced by another car driving on the wrong side, not just cyclists.
As a runner, agree they need to change the route as so boring especially along Walkers Road.
Other Marathons bus their runners to the start, without difficulty.
Could even use WB road, and go along coast to Barkers and back
Ah, invoking the power of the church mention, in order to elicit support!
It’s one morning, pretty much over by mid-morning, and it raises lots of money for charity, and encourages people to run or walk a challenging distance.
Dude, you need to chill.
You need to learn how to respond without resorting to judging.
“…it raises lots of money for charity…” why there are so many problems in Cayman that can’t be solved without fund raisers?
Feed our Future is one I don’t understand. How in the world kids go hungry in Cayman when JOCC giving cash away LITERALLY!
I support animal care charities and Meals on Wheels. I just transfer some money monthly.
Charities step in when there is a gap in government provision.
I’d rather we didn’t get Kenny’s wishing well, and it went toward something worthwhile.
Funds are needed because we have a crappy healthcare system here, and many are not covered. Animal welfare, old people welfare, and environmental welfare, are not a priority for the self-serving politicians, so others step up.
..c here..?
What do you mean exactly?
Poor health?
Poor prevention?
Expensive Medical insurance premiums and high deductibles?
Poor quality of hospital treatments?
Move to Canada and the US or to the UK to experience a crappy healthcare system
Hospice (Jasmine) supports all residents needing palliative care. Government does not fund them (they get a paltry amount that doesn’t cover the paid nurses & doctor). The facility was built by donors but funds are needed to maintain & run it.
Perhaps you could add them to your monthly payment list?
Lots of Caymanian families have been helped with end of life care, or respite care, grief counselling etc etc
Government does not provide this.
idjut no one is saying stop the marathon. put on your glasses and read again.
looks like SATAN got you locled in big squeeze @ 2:50 pm. take the heat like a good ma/woman nah ( since you anonymous)
Get off my lawn!!
You must be great fun at parties….can’t wait to see you rain on everyones Xmas festivities.
Does opinion that is different from yours is a good reason to insult a person you know nothing about?
You must be his cousin
go suck ya toe too 10:42 ya a make trouble fe all a ona ya hear
Love this response
If it was up to me, south sound road/south church street would be closed every Sunday morning for people to bike, run and walk with fearing for their lives. Cayman is such a car centric Island, let the runners have their morning once per year. Everyone knows that this event takes place the 1st Sunday in December each year, should not be difficult to pencil it in your calendar and leave for church a little bit earlier that one day.
Amen!
Everyone knows this takes place December 1? That’s news to me and I’m someone.
Go walk on TMB (Three mile beach) and you won’t have to worry about cars or bikes.
Any other brilliant ideas or assertions?
The first Sunday in December. Not 1st December!
It is not December 1 it is the first Sunday of December each and every year. Maybe you did not know before but you know now. Go mark your calendar now before you forget for next year and complain no one told you.
Of all the mountains to pick to die on…
live long sucka
So 1,500 runners in East End would be fine because you are not inconvenienced.
This is a fantastic event, organised by a small local business, that has a very significant number of local resident participants per capita.
Additionally, as well as bringing in a significant number of tourists it has seen some genuinely top-class athletes over the years visit.
The race should be supported and celebrated and if that can’t be done, for the sake of 6 hours on a Sunday morning
I would have thought at least be tolerated.
Walkers is a small local business?
Kelly Holdings duffus
So says the doofus incapable of spelling the word doofus.
*dufus
I totally understand how you feel, but it’s not just the marathon, it’s a lot of events. It happened during Pirates Week and does during Caymas and Batabano (events that should be together, not separate). Honestly our roads are not adequate for closures and the extended road works near Cardinal ave are a huge reason for the extra annoyance at these events.
We need to stop having festivals like pirates week on harbour drive as well. The population has grown too much to shut down a major road. It wasn’t a problem when we were only 30k people, but we’re now approaching 100k and the congestion they cause isn’t worth it. Either move the events or cancel them altogether.
Imagine when we get to 250,000 like McBeater/McPisser wants!
lol god forbid you cant drive your car for a few hours at 5am once a year because of charity
If the charity wants to really rake in some cash then let’s get some stands with water balloons for two bucks a pop that we can pelt at the runners as they pass by.
What a bizarre missive, one of the few annual events that brings out the very best in humanity and raises funds for worthwhile charitable causes should be moved because of a little inconvenience. Where is your sense of sacrifice Mr “Christian” John Henry Ebanks?
Can you express your opinion without judging? Only anonymous cowards do that.
So says the anonymous judging coward.
Might oblige if you give him the address for yours or is that anonymous too. at least he is not afraid to give his name why dont you do the same, or you fraidy cat eh!! or chicken chicken papappa, chicken!!
If we are getting rid of events, which we shouldn’t, here are about a dozen other events that should go first.
Be thankful they run the Mercury Man and some other races in the Eastern Districts. It is a major logistical challenge to organize this WORTHWHILE event and I think we can forgive the minor inconvenience for one morning a year.
maybe have better overall development planning that allows for national events like this to take place with minimal interruption. its what 1st world countries do
Well do we look 1st world to you??
We don’t even smell 1st world
Mr Ebanks, the marathon starts at 4am, the half marathon at 5am, it is all done by around 9am on a Sunday, other than hog sty bay, where finishers celebrate and enjoy time together until late morning.
This event has been developed through the commitment to give back to our community by a Caymanian business, Kelly Holding. Most of their business historically has been outside Cayman, the Cayman Marathon has been a passion project and contributes much to Cayman, now becoming a powerful and wholesome part of our Cayman culture in the 21st century.
I myself volunteered as a safety cyclist for many years, riding the whole course twice each event then going back and forth in central GT guiding runners in and looking for safety issues (eg very tired runners).
I speak to you as one of the many who ask that you too contribute to the marathon by simply being accepting of those few hours of activity on a quiet Sunday morning one weekend each year
The music at 4am in the morning is totally unnecessary and grotesquely antisocial. Just don’t.
Far better than the racket that comes from the Lions Centre every Sunday morning and wakes everyone in the neighbourhood up.
What time does the music begin?
Irrelevant, we are sleeping, having just finished a night shift. Who died and made you king of when people should and shouldn’t sleep?
This is a fantastic charity fundraising event. I’m sure your god (Christian or otherwise) would surely understand a Sunday morning once a year, until 11am being used for such a worthwhile event?
I also live on a road that is blocked during the marathon & is disturbed by music, but I go outside & applaud the participants.
Signed Caymankind
My goodness me, is there any other god than the Christian one? We were always taught in school that there was only one and all those others that billions of people worship are just bogus gods. Aren’t we lucky to have the one true one?