SPORTS

Running off the Christmas turkey

Anne Scaife took the women’s title with a smile	Marius Acker put in a dominant performance to add yet another title to his name	Roger Davies showed the younger guns a clean pair of heels to take third
Katie Evans took third place in the women’s race	Maria Leonce cruised home for second in the women’s race	Sprinting the final couple of metres to the line

Christopher Touhey rushes across the line to
high-five dad Brendan

Tuesday,  January 3, 2005

As most people across the Cayman Islands were still slumbering after the usual Christmas excesses, a significant number of runners, joggers, and walkers started working on their New Year’s resolutions early. 

Well over a hundred participants gathered on Seven Mile Beach for the annual Dashing thru the Sand beach fun run/walk on Boxing Day morning. The group included participants from all over, with those from England and British Columbia having travelled the furthest for the race. 

A number of other Canadian provinces were also represented, as well as fifteen states from the USA.

The route was straight forward, taking runners straight up Seven Mile Beach to the finish opposite the Courtyard Marriott. Even those athletes notorious for not getting the route right could not possibly go wrong this time around.

Individuals as well as large family groups took part with equal enjoyment in the activity organized by the Phoenix Athletic Club, with the event serving as an opportunity to start working off some excess turkey and Christmas pudding with a brisk stroll along the beach.

However, some of the athletes were more serious than others. Perennial podium finisher Marius Acker was so serious about the race that he claimed to have analysed the tides, the consistency of the sand, the slope of the beach, and a myriad of other factors in order to be properly prepared for the race.

As the participants took to the sand, it was soon clear that all the preparation must have paid off, as Acker streaked clear of the pack with no-one able to stick even close to him. Acker stayed on the hard sand close to the water’s edge for as long as possible, causing some of the officials up at the finish quite a bit of panic, as they feared that Acker was once again on his way to running his own extended version of the race. 

However, at the last possible moment Acker veered onto the loose sand and charged across the finish line to claim yet another win. 

He was followed home by Casey Peterson, a visitor from Virginia, with veteran Roger Davies crossing the line in third place. Andy Beresford from the UK finished just off the podium in fourth.

First in the ladies division, and in eighth position overall, was Anne Scaife, who was, as always, smiling as she made her way to the line. Maria Leonce, in suitably festive colours, finished in second position, with Katie Evans from Canada taking third position. Cathy Peterson, who is married to men’s runner-up Casey, came home fourth.

As the rest of the runners and walkers streamed across the line, it was clear that a mile and a half on the sand was tougher than many of them had thought. They arrived with shoes in hand, clearly having decided that sand between your toes was considerably more appealing than sand in your shoes.

As the participants finished the race, it was off to breakfast on the beach, followed by a fun prize-giving, with various awards.

The award for biggest family group was perhaps the most closely contested. 

The Petersons were in the running, with strong challenges from the Evans clan out of the Toronto area and two Chicago contingents, but when tallying was completed, the award remained here in Grand Cayman. John and Ann Elliott’s offspring and in-laws provided enough support for the winning total.

In keeping with the tradition established some years ago, Bill Estwanik donated the prizes for the first male and female finishers.

Leanne Bollard was the youngest registered girl at age eight, but she was well and truly beaten in the most junior stakes by Christopher Touhey, who at three and a half years of age was the youngest registered boy.

On the other end of the scale, Mary Bodden and William Webster claimed the prizes for the most ‘experienced’ competitors in the race.

The event was organised by Phoenix Athletics Club, and sponsored by Quin & Hampson.

eugene@caymannetnews.com

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