North Vancouver

In February 2010, Dawn Tonge boarded a ship that took her on 4 different runs on 4 beautiful islands in the Caribbean. The destination is the Caribbean Islands Marathon cruise, where the participants run a total of 26.2 miles over the course of their trip.

Dawn, where did you first hear about the Caribbean Islands Marathon cruise? Why did you decide to participate?

I first read about a marathon cruise in Runners World as a newby runner and thought what an excellent idea it was. I felt quite intimidated about other runners being better then me but it was on my bucket list. A few years later I saw an Alaskan marathon cruise advertised again in runner’s world organized by John Bingham (the Penguin) and decided to go for it. I had done a couple of cruises when the children were small but found them very boring, incorporating running into the cruise was something that appealed to me.

Have you done any other ‘running’ cruises?

So far I have done three running cruises, an Alaskan and two Caribbean running cruises all organized by John Bingham Racing.

How many days are you on the boat?

All the running cruises were 7 days.

What islands did you run on and what was the terrain like? Were the runs set up like actual races? What were the distances of each run?

First port of call was Grand Turk, the race 8 miles. We were bussed out to the top of the Island and ran back to the cruise centre. It was a road race, an undulating course. The island was hit with a terrible hurricane two years ago and the tourist authority is working hard to welcome tourist to the Island. We were very well supported on the course with police directing traffic, water stations and course marshals.

St Thomas was a 7 mile race, starting at Meagan’s Bay, voted one of the top ten beaches in the world. Once again we were bussed out to the beach and started the race there. A very hilly race but beautiful vistas once you got to the top of the headlands and then back to the beach for a fantastic swim and relaxation.

Puerto Rico was a very busy city, very difficult to organize a road race, so Jenny Hadfield, John's business partner and wife organized an adventure race. She herself has completed in several Eco Challenge races in New Zealand and Borneo so is very qualified to organize a bit of a twist to the racing. As we docked, we were given a map of the city and various check points. We ran as a team of two or more (for safety reasons) and had to take photos of the team in front of each check point in the correct order. The race, if you had good map reading skills was 7 km, but many people ran a much longer race!

The final stage was Half Moon Cay, part of the Bahamas, a 3 mile run, flat and fun, well organized with water stations and support on the course. We did run on deck, on the first day at sea. Usually people are not allowed to run on deck, we were given special dispensation to run. Quite easy to do with some 'hills' depending on how rough the sea was at the time.

What do you do on the boat when you are not out running?

We were offered stretching, running and racing seminars by Jenny who is a coach and has a Masters Degree in exercise physiology.

What was your favorite part of the cruise?

I really enjoyed the social aspect of interacting with other members of the running group, at dinner and at the various cocktail parties. Dinner was a social occasion, with tables being rotated everyday, so you sat with new people, an interesting way to get you to interact. Everyone got the chance to have dinner with John and Jenny. What can I say about the food other then amazing! Thank goodness I could run everyday and burn a couple of hundred calories in between the meals....Lastly, Getting out on to the Islands and running in areas that tourists do not normally go.

The event is organized by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfeild. In your experience, was it was well organized?

John and Jenny are fantastic people and we have become good friends. We have found all the cruises to be very well organized and fun. It’s not about how fast you can run, only about doing your best and everyone celebrates each others achievements. The first couple of cruises, the winners were decided by how close to your predicted time (calculated by your deck run) you achieved over the course of the 26.2 miles. This last cruise was a poker run, with each person gaining a card at the end of each race and the winner getting an extra card. The winner was the person who had the best hand at the end. We had fast runner, middle of the pack runners and walkers, everyone was included and celebrated.

What would you suggest to someone who is thinking about signing up for a marathon cruise?

I think it’s a great way to cruise, do not be intimidated by the thought of ‘fast runners and not being able to keep up ‘… Just do it!

Are you planning on doing this again? Or, would you like to try a different destination?

John and Jenny are now thinking about a European cruise, perhaps starting in Venice and running in the European cities. I would definitely sign up for that one.

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