Cayman Islands Marathon

Last week, I was probably the first-ever person to joggle on the Cayman Islands. I joggled the half-marathon on Sunday, finishing in third place overall with a time of 1:27. I was originally planning to do the full marathon, but changed my mind at the last minute. The big challenge for the half was that it started at 5 a.m., which meant I was juggling the whole thing in the dark -- and some section were very dark. I dropped about 15 times. It was about 26 C on the course, plus humidity, which was a shock to my system. It was snowing in Toronto when I left.

The Cayman Islands Marathon is an excellent running tourism destination. The organizers work really hard to put on a quality event, and generally treat the runners like gold. Plus, once you're finished your race, there are so many things do to on the island of Grand Cayman. My personal trip highlight swimming with rays at Stingray City, a sandbank off the north end of the island, where friendly stingrays nuzzle up to snorkellers. Cayman looks just like it does on the postcards -- stunning.

5K Joggling Record Attempt

Here's a roundup from SNAP magazine of the recent 5K joggling record attempt. Those look a lot like Adrienne Stewart's photos. Looking at that report makes me want to try for that record again. This spring ... attempt #2.

Danny Kassap Fund Update

Here's some good news on the Danny Kassap front. The donation site www.dannykassapfund.com has temporarily shut down the donation link to avoid potentially raising too much money.

Here's the lastest update from the site:

The response to this campaign has far, far exceeded our hopes. We've received donations from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and even from the United States - the generosity of the running community has been truly humbling. We've also received more potential good news: It appears Danny may be eligible for a significantly higher payment from OHIP than initially thought; and a charity in Ottawa may be willing to fund one specific part of Danny's treatment (a portable defibrillator vest which he was required to wear before being allowed to fly), which cost just over $3,000 to rent. Neither of these possible sources of funding are confirmed, and it may take several months before we find out if they will actually happen. However, if we add that tentative funding to the money we've received so far, along with other pledges we've received and cheques that we expect will continue arriving next week, we're starting to get close to the minimum goal of $18,000 (a little over 12,000 euros). While it's almost certain that we'll need to raise a little more money later, we're going to TURN OFF THE ONLINE DONATION FEATURE TEMPORARILY, just to make sure we don't run into the "problem" of raising more than we need.

Needless to say, Danny has been overwhelmed by the response, and by the messages of support he has received. If you have any questions, please let us know at dannykassapfund@gmail.com.

Danny Kassap Needs Our Help

This writeup is from http://www.dannykassapfund.com/. Let's help Danny out.

Danny Kassap, one of Canada’s finest distance runners, very nearly died last month when he collapsed while running the Berlin Marathon. Now he needs help from the running community to pay for the lifesaving medical care that he received while hospitalized in Berlin.

If you follow distance running in Canada, you’ve probably heard of Danny Kassap. A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he came to Canada as a teenager in 2001 for the Francophone Games. He made a daring escape from the athletes' village, seeking refugee status in Canada on the basis of political persecution.

Meanwhile, Danny found his way to Toronto, and began training with the University of Toronto Track Club. In 2004, he won the first marathon he ever ran in a very impressive time of 2:14:50. For the next several years, he continued to run very fast times on very high mileage, while also working full-time and obtaining his high school equivalency. Danny has never been on any form of social assistance.

After numerous legal setbacks, Danny finally became a landed immigrant in April of this year, and a Canadian citizen in August. As a result, he was finally able to run a race outside of Canada. In April, he travelled to England to run the London Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious and competitive road races. He finished 15th, just three places behind the reigning Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini. In September, he travelled to Berlin to run his first marathon as a Canadian citizen.

For the first several kilometres in Berlin, Danny appeared poised to have another outstanding race. However, near the 5 km mark, disaster struck when Danny suddenly collapsed. A Good Samaritan who happened to be in close proximity to him at the time began administering CPR almost immediately, and a paramedic on a motorcycle got to him within a minute. Danny received between 15-19 shocks from a defibrillator, and the paramedics worked on him for 45 minutes before his condition stabilized. He was placed in a medically-induced coma for several days, and remained in a Berlin hospital for over two weeks before he was able to return home to Toronto.

The doctors determined that Danny suffered a “ventricular fibrillation” (an uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle) brought on by myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart), which in turn was caused by a cold virus. Danny will not be able to run for at least the next three months, but doctors are cautiously optimistic that he will make a full recovery.

Danny received outstanding medical care while in Berlin, but it has left him with a crippling debt. Even with OHIP covering a portion of Danny’s medical bills, he still owes $18,000 to the hospital which cared for him, and which discharged him on the undertaking that the amount owing will be paid in a timely manner.

Danny presently works full-time as an assistant manager at the Running Room. Eighteen thousand dollars is a prohibitively large amount for him to have to repay quickly. Danny has been unable to contact his family since coming to Canada, and even if he could, they would be unable to provide him with any financial assistance. However, we are hopeful that Danny’s many friends and well-wishers within the running community will be able to provide him with some measure of support.

Danny’s primary motivation for running the Berlin Marathon was to secure a spot on his first Canadian national team so that he could proudly represent Canada at next summer’s World Championships. Danny has made a tremendous contribution to the Canadian running community since arriving here more than seven years ago, and now is our chance to return the favour.

You can make a secure online donation at http://www.dannykassapfund.com/.

Drinking and Joggling

Do drinking and joggling mix? During the Royal Victoria Marathon, I discovered that yes, they do. The Hash House Harriers set up a beer check along the course, and since I wasn't going for a world record, I decided to stop for a couple of cups. I juggled a bit as I drank. The beer helped me stay nice and relaxed and unfocused for the rest of the race.

Dick Beardsley Rules

At the Royal Victoria Marathon, I met my running hero, Dick Beardsley. He's an incredible speaker and just a great guy to talk to. He's been through more in his life than just about anyone I've ever met, and he's all the stronger for it. The same tenacity that Beardsley used to fight his way through the Duel in Sun at the 1982 Boston Marathon carried him through the battle with near-deadly injuries and prescription narcotics addiction. He has so many good stories to tell about running and life. Cheers to Beards! If you're ever looking to book a motivational speaker, click on the above link -- you won't be sorry.

A Royal Joggle

My trip to Victoria, B.C. was a grand success. The Royal Victoria Marathon is a first-class event, with a gorgeous, scenic route. I joggled a relaxed 3:12. doing tricks almost the whole way. I wasted a lot of energy laughing. After stopping at the Hash House Harriers tent for some beer, my drop rate increased dramatically. The day before the race, the Victoria Times-Colonist ran a story on my joggling, and the next day I became known as "that guy on A3." Here is a photo on flickr (thanks Perry) I don't look very happy here, but I think the sun was in my eyes. Here's a good roundup of the race, but it says my joggling record is 2:15 -- now that would be an impressive record.

Canadian Running Magazine's expo booth was hopping. At times, we could barely keep up with the demand for new subscribers. It's great to see Canadians supporting a Canadian running magazine.

Up next, I have a tough assignment joggling the Cayman Islands Marathon on Dec. 7.