Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis battled two cramps and aching knees to finish his “walk the talk” mission when he crossed the finish line of the 26.2-mile Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon, on January 25th.
Draped in the national flag and followed by an army of athletes, supporters and well-wishers, Lewis willed himself to complete a journey that started promptly at 3.30 a.m. yesterday at St Mary’s Junction, Freeport, and concluded almost seven hours later in the blazing sun in front Whitehall at the Queen’s Park Savannah.
Lewis would say after the race: “I had to dig real deep. The pain from the cramps was so severe and after a while it actually felt that I had pulled my left hamstring in the last two miles. But quitting is not in my make up.”
Lewis would have been drawing on the memories of six marathons he had trekked during his 20s and 30s. But Lewis, his knees and bones plundered by those same marathons and his sport of choice, the contact-filled rugby.
“I am glad it (the walk) resonated so deeply with the public and it just goes to show there are still wonderful and tremendous people in this country who want to see the country progress,” Lewis said in a post-race interview. Lewis will be hoping the expressed goodwill converts into sustainable, tangible financial support, for T&T athletes in the coming years.