Consistency takes Saunders to the top

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 25 September 2016

Jason Saunders claimed the Fidelity Fun Run title on Saturday, 24 September, after being the most consistent among the top finishers throughout the three-race series.

Saunders entered the final race needing only to finish ahead of race two winner Will Edwards, who trailed him by two points, to win the title but he only realised that when he showed up on Saturday morning.

He entered the homestretch with Edwards and pulled away toward the finish, constantly looking over his shoulder at the competition before breaking into a sprint to the line. He finished the two-mile run third in 10 minutes and 48 seconds, two positions better than Edwards (10:54.5).

They trailed Dominic Dyer, who once again dominated the field to win his second race of the series in 10:07.5. Dyer, who claimed the opener two weeks earlier, had no realistic shot of the title as he missed race two. However, he was racing the clock as he looks to round into peak shape for the CARIFTA Games next year.

Dyer won his 2nd race of the series

Michael Smikle of Mustangs Track Club placed second in 10:43.6, his best finish of the three weeks. However, that was good enough to give him all the points he needed to finish second overall in the series. Victor Magalhaes finished the final race in fourth position, with enough points for third in the overall standings.

Saunders was happy with his performance, although an injured knee limited how hard he could push himself. Although he won the title, he is happy to be rounding back into shape after taking a nine-month break from running.

“I just come to run, to enjoy myself, not to look for the win or anything else, just to do my best,” he told CaymanSportsBuzz.com.

Michael Smikle collects his trophy from Fidelity’s Brett Hill.

He was injured in an accident two years ago and returned to finish third in the half-marathon distance of the Cayman Islands Marathon last December. The pain he felt then led to his most recent layoff. However, he has his sights set on topping the podium this year.

“My real preparation is for the marathon. I want to win the half-marathon,” he said.

The following are the winners of the various age categories:

Boys Under 12: Kassidy Forrester

Boys 12-14: Levi Superville

Boys 15-19: Will Edwards

Men 20-29: Jason Deamer

Men 30-39: Barry Goude

Men 40-49: Conrad Proud

Men 50-59: Paul Williams

Men 60+: Chris Sutton

Click here for report and results of women’s event and here for full overall results.