Haines limbers up for first of six marathons

(CNS): Local veteran marathon runner, Derek Haines who has now formally announced his intention to run six marathons this year is hoping to raise enough money to build a Hospice here in Cayman with inpatient care facilities. Launching the appeal at a special reception at Government House last, as Governor Helen Kilpatrick has become the official patron of the challenge, Haines begins the daunting task in just a few weeks time. Along with some 50,000 other runners he will hit the pavements of Paris on Sunday 6 April  followed exactly one week later by his second 26 plus mile run through the streets of London where Haile Gebrselassie has promised to set a world record pace.

Haines is receiving tremendous support from the community but his goal is to raise $1million and as a result the governor is urging the community to pledge what they can. Having only recently announced his intention to run the six marathons given the significant support Haines enjoys from the Cayman community he is almost a quarter of the way there.

"Support, thus far, is excellent with over CI$220K being pledged or given towards the target of CI$1M,” he said. “Also, John Doak has pledged his architectural services, David Kirkaldy has designed and produced the website and I have a great Rotarian support team in Chris Johnson (treasurer and trainer), Brian Hurley, Lucy Macfadyen and Rob Jamieson.”

Haines said that training is going well and with less than three weeks until the first run in Paris and the second a week later in London, the veteran marathon competitor said that his last long training run on Sunday saw him cover some 21 miles at 9 minute mile pace.
Following Paris and London Haines will have a couple of months to recover before he heads back to Europe for the Pamplona in Spain on 28 June where he will be running with his daughter Lizzy. Then Haines will be headed for the United States for the San Francisco marathon just a month later. Still awaiting confirmation for his participation in the New York marathon but if he gets accepted he will run that race on 2 November. Haines sixth long distance run will be on home turf in the Cayman marathon on 7 December.

“Every dollar donated to the challenge will go to the funding of the hospice as there will be no administrative costs or expenses,” Haines said. “I will be grateful for any support to the challenge that folks and companies can give."

Haines a long time member of the Rotary club of Grand Cayman is funding all of his travel and registration fees personally and the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman has ensured entry into the London race with a donation of $2.000 pounds sterling to British Hospice.

Over the years Haines has ran 36 marathons his personal best is 2 hours 59 minutes but now a tad over sixty years old he is not expecting to repeat that performance. Regardless of time charities have benefitted from the hundreds and thousands of dollars that he has raised pounding pavements around the world. He has raised over a quarter of a million dollars in the past four Cayman marathons and he is hopeful that the $1million target he has set for the hospice will be one he won’t miss.

Donations can be made by accessing the dedicated website at six4hospice.com