The T&T In­ter­na­tion­al Marathon (TTIM) is on Sun­day. It's num­ber 37. Founder of the T&T marathon, Raf­fique Shah is cred­it­ed as start­ing the lo­cal edi­tion of the en­durance event in 1983. Then known as the Mir­ror Marathon, the 26.2-mile run cap­tured the imag­i­na­tion of the na­tion back then and for many decades af­ter.

The T&T In­ter­na­tion­al Marathon (TTIM) is on Jan­u­ary 27. That is the great news.

The answer is a weird story that starts in ancient Greece and finishes in front of Queen Alexandra in 1908. So, let’s get going . . .

14 January 2019, Port of Spain. On Sunday 27 January 2019, TeamTTO is seeking to raise $1 million towards the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s (TTOC) #10Golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation fund. Since 2015 the Team TTO group, led by TTOC President Brian Lewis, have taken entry in the Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon (TTIM) to raise awareness and financial pledges for the athlete welfare and preparation fund.

The 0bjective of the fund is to support athletes in pursuit of their dream to be an Olympic champion.

This year, the 37^th edition of the TTIM Team TTO will lend support to two worthy causes the Eshe’s Learning Centre and a Cancer and Diabetes drive. Anton La Fond will be representing Eshe’s while popular CNC3 Sports presenter Robert Dumas will dedicate his marathon participation for Cancer and Diabetic patients in need of emergency operations or medical assistance. Taking on the marathon challenge has taken on great personal significance as his father a cancer and diabetes patient requires an urgently needed surgery.

The Marathon scheduled for Sunday 27^th January 2019 will see runners and walkers both local and international attempt to complete the 26.2 miles (42.195km) from Freeport in Central Trinidad to the finish line at Whitehall, Queens Park Savannah.

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Editor’s Notes:

10Golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund

Vision 10 or more Olympic Gold medals by the year 2024 (#10Golds24) was established in 2013. #10Golds24 aims to cultivate a system of excellence that clarifies the development pathway and performance management system that holistically foster, mentor, nurture and develop Olympians and Olympic Champions.

Training to be an Olympic champion is a full time commitment that demands both discipline and dedication to maintain competitiveness and to win medals. Elite and high performance athletes competing in individual and team sports must dedicate time, money, and energy to their athletic endeavors.

Signaling a new mindset, a new attitude and a new approach where the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) targets the big goal and the big dream of ten Olympic gold medals by the year 2024. Establishing a change in culture entails breaking down barriers with new and innovative approaches. Thus, this approach intends to sensitize the nation about the reality that exist with our National Athletes in an attempt to encourage support of our athletes on their journey to fulfilling the Olympic Dream.

#10Golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund was launched on the 26th December 2014. On 25th January 2015, the TTOC President, Brian Lewis, participated in the Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon to raise awareness and seed funding for the Athlete Welfare and Preparation fund. The Fund is envisioned to be independent, transparent, accountable and non – governmental.

Many of TTO Elite and High Performance athletes are not financially well rewarded and would not have an opportunity to reach their potential without financial support. Financial support or the lack of it across the stages of an athlete's long-term development have ended or compromised the dream of many talented young men and women.
The training to compete and to win phases of an athlete's long-term development is particularly critical. As is what happens after their competitive life is over.

The aim of #10golds24 athlete welfare and preparation fund is to provide sustainable financial assistance to our nation’s Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes to enable them to train, recover and compete. The fund aims to assist athletes in the following aspects:

• Financial support
• Technical Support
• Sport Medicine and High-Performance Support
• Medal bonus
• Health and Accident Insurance
• Internships with Corporate T&T to prepare for life after elite sport
• Life skills training
• Athlete Career Development
• High Performance Support
• Case by Case needs and Special Requests

For more information, please follow Team TTO on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or log on to teamtto.org.

Michael Johnson makes his living by telling people where they went wrong.