Veteran Cox wins at last

VETERAN Trinidad and Tobago long distance runner Curtis Cox broke an 11-year-old drought for locals when he surprised a field of 600 to capture gold in the 23rd edition of the CLICO Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon yesterday. St Vincent’s seven-time winner of the event and pre-race favourite Pamenos Ballantyne had to settle for third this time, as Venezuelan Jefferson Rivas was runner-up. But there was no surprise in the 5K race run simultaneously with the marathon, as the Rasta hair-styled schoolgirl Pilar McShine left her 1500 field in her wake to repeat. And Polish runner Joanna Gront was a very easy repeat winner of the women’s marathon category, clocking 2:53:16 to take the TT$19,000 (US$3,000) first prize.

Adelaide Carrington finished one place higher than her St Vincent and the Grenadines counterpart, finishing second more than 40 minutes behind Gront in a time of 3:33:42. It was a beaming Cox who received the winner’s trophy and TT$25,200 cheque, culminating 19 years trying to win the gruelling 26.2-mile race with a winning time of two hours, 24 minutes, 21 seconds. After recovering from his exertions Cox said:  “I feel great, I feel the monkey is now off my back.” Venezuela’s Rivas clocked 2:25:47 in finishing second, while dethroned champ Ballantyne who kept complaining of cramps in his leg throughout the event finished in 2:26:39. The trio of Cox, Rivas and Ballantyne moved away from the pack very early and they raced each other most of the way thereafter.

Cox strode away from the other two, leaving both Ballantyne and Rivas struggling to keep pace with him. Realising this, the 37-year-old Cox pulled further away approaching the last four miles of the race, and went on to hit the finish line unchallenged. Cox said: “This is the 19th time I am competing in the race. I have only two third place finishes in 1991 and 1992, and I was second last year so this was really big for me. I worked really hard for it.” The Trinidadian also beat Ballantyne in the 2003 Run Barbados Half Marathon.

Last time a local won the marathon was in 1994 when Tobago-born Michael Alexander completed his fourth consecutive victory. Race record holder Ballantyne (2:15:30) said he experienced difficulties with cramps that intensified in the second half the race. He said: “It’s not everyday your body will feel the way you want it to, and unfortunately today was that day for me. I tried to push my body but it just wouldn’t respond.” McShine was never in any doubt, and cruised home, leading a Trinidad and Tobago one-two-three, with Shermin Lasaldo finishing second and Samantha Shakla third.

Top marathon finishers:
(MEN) —  1. Curtis Cox (TT) 2:24.21; 2. Jefferson Rivas (Ven) 2:25.47; 3. Pamenoz Ballantyne (SVG) 2:26.39; 4. Emiliano Rojas (Ven) 2:37.35; 5. Brian Maynard (TT) 2:40.56; 6. Andrew Gutzmore (Jam) 2:42.49; 7. Richard Jones (TT) 2:45.32; 8. Keith Cumberbatch (B’dos) 2:45.41; 9. Richard Carrabal (Ven) 2:47.34; 10. Cedric Maxwell (TT) 2:49.08.
WOMEN —  1. Joanna Gront (Poland) 2:53.16; 2. Adelaide Carrington (SVG) 3.33.42; 3. Natalie Suite (TT) 3:38.40; 4. Karoline Schmid (Germany) 3:45.35; 5. Leisl Puckerin (TT) 3:48.32.

Top 5K finishers
MEN: 1. Denzil Ramirez (TT) 15:06; 2. Jean Carlos Calzadilla (Ven) 15:12; 3. Kevin Johnson (Guyana) 15:44.
WOMEN: 1. Pilar McShine (TT) 18:13; 2. Shermin Lasaldo (TT) 18:51; 3. Samantha Shakla (TT) 18:57.