Kelvin Johnson captured the Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon (TTIM) 40th Edition title, in Chaguaramas, yesterday.

Running four laps of the bicycle path, Johnson completed the 26.2-mile race in two hours, 55 minutes, 33 seconds. The Guyanese-born athlete earned $7,500 for his early morning run on the western peninsula.

Elvis Turner clocked 2:58:58 to finish second in the men’s race, with third spot going to 2005 champion Curtis Cox in 3:25:22. Anand Baal (3:35:45) and Narvin Beharry (3:36:00) were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Shardie Mahabir was impressive in the women’s race, crossing the finish line in 3:38:51 to claim the $7,500 top prize. Tenth in 2020 in 4:06:57, Mahabir showcased the results of two years of hard work, improving her time by more than 28 minutes in spite of all the challenges that have come with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chantel Le Maitre produced a strong challenge, but had to settle for the runner-up spot in 3:40:00. Alana Lee Wo finished third in 4:16:47, getting home ahead of Leigh-Ann Benjamin-Campbell (4:17:15) and Corene Procope (4:20:06).

Thomas Sealy and Dr Gordon Naraynsingh competed in the very first T&T Marathon, in 1983. They were both in Chaguaramas yesterday, clocking 4:29:44 and 4:33:27, respectively, in the 40th Edition event. Running in his 130th 26.2-mile race, Polish marathon globetrotter Ryschard Ellert returned a time of 4:59:36. Ellert has now competed in marathons in 99 countries.

Yesterday’s race, staged in honour of the late Anthony Harford, was the first T&T Marathon on the Chaguaramas bicycle path.

“It was definitely a success,” TTIM chairperson Diane Henderson told the Express. “We had three or four people at water stops, as opposed to over 200, so it was manageable and controlled.

“Within a minute of the start,” Henderson continued, “the field was totally spread out, almost in the order they eventually finished.”