Grand Cayman Breeze Fusion 2 Mile Race

Saturday November 1st was the first full day of our mini-vacation to Grand Cayman and it just so happened to be the day of the Breeze Fusion 2 Mile race. The fun run, hosted by Radio Breeze, was due to start at 7:30am in the South Sound area of the island. We were staying in the East End area so set our alarms for 5:45am to leave enough time for a quick breakfast and the approximately 40 minute trip across the island.

I must say I didn’t think the race would go ahead as planned. We woke to very strong winds and heavy rain, but decided to drive to the race site “just in case”. Thankfully the rain eased and the winds didn’t seem as strong on the other side of the island and the race was definitely a go.

We paid our 20 US$ entry fee and managed a hurried one mile warm up before being called to the start line. I would guess there were only about 50 or 60 runners and after a brief recap of the rules and description of the race route, we were off.

I soon settled into a nice rhythm and found myself in 3rd or 4th position behind a couple of quick starters and the fastest female in the field. For some reason my Garmin 405 decided to lock up on the GPS screen, so unfortunately I had no idea what pace I was running. Not really a major problem as I soon found myself leading the field and more
worried about making the correct turn at the bottom of Walkers Road.

The orange cones at the side of the road reassured me that I had indeed made the correct turn, and a quick glance at my now-working-again Garmin signaled a 5:40 first mile. Not bad considering….

The second mile was more of a struggle into the 20mph ENE wind, but I managed to find a good groove and keep the legs ticking over. A sharp right turn brought the finish into sight, and before I knew it I’d crossed the line in 11:20 for a second mile of 5:40, some 39 seconds ahead of the second place runner, Beth Schreader.

I jogged back to watch my wife Ally finish and was pleased to see her bounding along after 6 weeks out with a frustrating foot injury. As an added bonus, Ally was the 1st place finisher in her age group and picked up a nice award.

Speaking of awards, I don’t think I’ve ever received a bigger trophy – as you can see, it’s huge! We also received a race t-shirt (choice of two colors) and a sports bottle for our $20 entry fee. Interestingly there was no post-race food, but plenty of top quality bottled water and Red Bull.

The Cayman Islands national newspaper did a nice little feature on the race and it was great to get a mention as a “Displaced Welshman:

Cay Compass News Online: Fun run wasn’t such a Breeze

All in all a great little race and a memorable start to our vacation. Thanks to everyone who made us feel at home and welcomed two tourists into their local running community! It won’t happen this year, but one day I’ll return to run the Cayman Marathon….