On Sunday 21st February over 450 participants took part in one of Cayman’s most extreme and competitive events on the annual race calendar, the 2016 Off the Beaten Track ultra-marathon and relay. This year pushed the participating athletes further than ever before, asking them to dig deeper in to their mental and physical reserves. This 50km ultra-marathon held in aid of two charities, is designed to encompass a notoriously difficult un-chartered route through lush tropical bush trails, along sandy beaches and the back roads and dyke roads of Cayman. Adding to the challenge, a new course is prepared each year and maps are only provided to participants a week before the event.
On an unbelievably tough course, this year’s race showcased some stellar athletes, with Andrew Keast taking first place in the Solo Male category with an impressive time of 4:28:12, which is four minutes ahead of last year’s winner and an important twelve minutes faster than Andrew completed his 2015 course. Dan Kelley, a visitor from Boston, Massachusetts, gained second place in this category, with 4:38:53 and Amilkar Torres took third place with a time of 5:02:17.
In the Solo Women’s category, Helki Weber took first place with a time of 5:25:32, just a little over her 2015 time of 5:03:44. Jalene Cruz was the second place Solo Female with 5:37:27, shaving just under 15 minutes off her 2015 time of 5:52:02. Pat McCallum was placed third in the category with her time of 6:00:50.
In the Male Relay, Mourant Ozannes 1 made it a double whammy, taking the top spot for the second year in a row. Hayden Isbister, Partner at Mourant Ozannes said “Congratulations to all of the runners that completed what was certainly a challenging course this year. Mourant Ozannes is proud to have been involved with Off the Beaten Track once again and to have assisted with the very important fundraising for two worthwhile causes, Meals on Wheels and Facing Africa. We are also very happy to have defended the win for the male relay category.”
The Female Relay team ‘Sole Sisters’ took a very comfortable first place in their female category and the Corporate Relay winners, the PwC Six Pack team steamed to the front in their category. In the Mixed Relay category, Solomon Harris MDR Speedsters (the youngest team to ever compete in this event) took the top spot.
“The Solomon Harris MDR Speedsters did brilliantly well to enter OTBT as the youngest team ever and the fact they won the Mixed Relay competition just shows the fantastic achievements of which the young people of Cayman are capable” said Laura Hatfield, Partner with Solomon Harris.
OTBT Race Director and Marketing Manager at KRyS Global, Anna Keating said this year’s event showcased an impressive number of superb athletes, who also helped to raise money to give back to the community.
“This was our seventh year of Off the Beaten Track which attracted a staggering 71 teams and 30 solo runners. The increasing number of participants each year and the excitement that surrounds this event is a testament to the adventurous spirit of Cayman’s runners and the uniqueness of this race,” Ms Keating said. “Off The Beaten Track supports local charity, Meals on Wheels who provide a critical service in the community ensuring that no senior goes hungry and the international charity, Facing Africa, dedicated to helping children in Nigeria and Ethiopia affected by NOMA, a deadly infection that affects the face.”
“The course was definitely the toughest yet as we dug the trail deeper into the bush than ever before, making the course a challenge like no other, for the athletes. We are tremendously grateful to all those who supported this event and especially all of the participants, sponsors and volunteers who helped to make this event happen,” Keating said.
Major sponsors of this event were KRyS Global, Brown Rudnick, Tower and Mourant Ozannes. Other supporting sponsors included Solomon Harris, Campbells, Ritch & Conolly, DHL, Walkers, Governors Square, Hews, Kensington Management, The Security Centre and Jacques Scott, among others.
For more information about this race, please visit www.offthebeatentrack.ky
March 8, 2016 – CNS Local Life
March 8, 2016 – Cayman Inews
March 7, 2016 – Cayman Compass
March 7, 2016 – Radio Cayman
