Ultramarathon raises $12,000 for charities

Originally posted on the Cayman Compass

The annual KRyS Global Off the Beaten Track ultramarathon raised $12,000 for several local charities.

The funds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters, YMCA, One Dog at a time, Save our Youth Foundation, 345 Athletic Club and MS Foundation of the Cayman Islands, organisers said.

“With this year being the 10th anniversary of the race, we were keen to support as many local charities as possible,” said Kenneth Krys, founder of the ultramarathon and a runner himself.

Krys has completed 15 multi-stage ultramarathons in the past decade, including races in such exotic locales like Iceland, the Amazon, Bhutan, the Gobi Desert and Madagascar.

He launched the Off the Beaten Track race in Cayman after he completed the Marathon des Sables in 2009. Touted as the toughest footrace on Earth, the Marathon des Sables is a gruelling multi-stage adventure through the world’s most inhospitable environment – the Sahara Desert. While Off the Beaten Track does not take place in a similarly hostile environment, runners in the Cayman race attack the local beaches, ironshore, mangroves and dyke roads.

“We are very fortunate to have 10 great years of OTBT, and we look forward to continued support from the running community for years to come,” said Krys.

He thanked Derek Larmer and the team from Race Caribbean who oversee the race, and the sponsors, volunteers, Red Cross and suppliers who all make this one of the most anticipated events on the running calendar.