4 minute read
Derek Haines Cayman's Marathon Man
from BOUNCE Issue 2
by pinkduck
Derek Haines is no running joke at 70
By Ron Shillingford
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Photos by Janet Jarchow
The average 70-year-old’s fitness regimen may include brisk walks, gardening and an occasional round of golf, dip in the pool, or a tennis session. Not for Derek Haines, who runs 26.2-mile marathons and treks the world’s toughest routes, volcanoes, and mountains to stay in shape.
At an age when creaky knees and aching backs typically limit activity, Derek is looking for his next challenge and deserving charity to raise funds for. Indeed, Derek’s fitness regimen shows that anyone can stay in shape, no matter their age.
In the past decade Derek has raised millions for various good causes in the Cayman Islands, earning the former police chief an MBE in 2015. He famously ran six marathons to raise $1 million for Cayman HospiceCare in 2014, which probably clinched his gong from Her Majesty.
Other large sums for local charities have been collected by Derek, including Have a Heart Cayman Islands, Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s Reefs Go Live project, the Good Samaritan Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Feed Our Future, and various Rotary Club of the Cayman Islands’ projects.
Derek’s latest challenge at the end of July 2019, was the Coast to Coast challenge on the GR10 along the Pyrenees from the town of Hendaye in France beside the Atlantic Ocean, to Vernet des Bains, beside the Mediterranean Sea. It took two months and covered more than 600-miles involving 157,000-feet of ascent, the equivalent of climbing five and half Everests.
Derek completed the monumental challenge with his friend Mike “Burco” Burcombe and their two main goals were to raise awareness and funds for Special Needs Foundation Cayman. Burcombe is a semi-retired construction engineer whose friendship with Derek was cemented during the passing of Hurricane Ivan.
They climbed Aconcagua in Argentina together in 2012, the highest mountains outside of the Himalayas. Derek’s next event is undecided, but he may run the Cayman Islands Marathon in December 2019, to finish the year for Special Needs. The charity’s goal is to raise $1 million, and Special Needs is close to Derek’s heart as his brother Roy, 65, has been in special needs care in the United Kingdom since the age of five.
Getting in shape
Derek still runs about 30-miles a week and admits that he is lucky as he has no serious or lasting injuries. Warm ups? He just sets off and quickly finds a rhythm. His top tips for anyone wanting to get fit? “Build up slowly and train early morning or evening to avoid the main heat,” he says. “Get good shoes, or other equipment depending on the sport. Folks tend to rush into things, get injured and then give up. Cheap running shoes, for example, are a short cut to injury. Also keep hydrated. Heat exhaustion is serious.”
Cayman has an obesity problem, so his advice is pertinent. His diet and liquid tips for anyone wanting to lose weight and get fit is not to do anything too drastic. “Exercising plus eating and drinking sensibly will improve fitness. The weight will then start to come off naturally,” Derek explains.
For someone of his age intending to get fit, he suggests starting slowly. “They need to get into it carefully,” Derek says. “Being a fit corpse is not the goal. Age isn’t the issue. It is state of mind and body.”
Derek and his hiking partner Vico fly the Cayman flag on the summit of Acotagno, a stratovolcano in Guatemala.
Cayman’s sporting scene
As president of the Cayman Rugby Football Union, Derek advocates rugby as ideal for fitness. Even now he plays the occasional game despite the potential for injuries. Cayman Rugby is one of the best organised and promoted local sports. Not surprisingly, Derek advocates youngsters embrace it.
“The earlier folks get into it the better,” he says. “We have an excellent youth programme in Cayman. The laws of rugby have also been strengthened to give more protection to players. Yes, it is a hard sport, but fitness and training reduce the chances of serious injury. Helen [his wife] has told me I have played in my last game, the last Boxing Day match when I had already turned 70.”
If not rugby, a good activity for a sedentary person is walking briskly or possibly swimming, the father of two says. “Walking and swimming do not overload the joints and equipment for either will not break the wallet.”
The Cayman sporting scene for beginners is incredibly well organised and varied for such a small place. “It is excellent,” Derek says. “There are so many sports to choose from at all levels including Olympic and world class events.”
Now, Derek feels there are no sporting challenges left for him to achieve. “I started running in 1980 simply to lose weight and get fit,” he says. “I’ve enjoyed both my running and rugby, and all my trekking experiences. It has also been good to use my fitness to raise funds for those in need, so my aims are in that direction.”
Receiving his MBE from Prince William at Buckingham Palace was a fitting accolade for his tremendous charity efforts. “That was an honour indeed. A special moment that I was able to share with Helen and the family.”
