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Alex Ekesa turned silver into gold in St Augustine, yesterday, the Kenyan runner claiming top spot in the UWI SPEC International Half Marathon men’s race. Second in 2019, 2023 and 2024, Ekesa finally captured the title, finding another gear towards the end of the race to shut down a spirited challenge from Trinidad and Tobago’s Tafari Waldron. Ekesa completed the 13.1-mile course in one hour, eight minutes and 33 seconds for a comfortable cushion on Waldron, the runner-up in 1:08:58. Waldron’s training partners, Nicholas Romany and Donnell Francis were third and fourth, respectively, clocking 1:11:06 and 1:12:33. Aniqah Bailey was the class of the women’s field, the T&T teenager getting home in 1:30:36 to secure the top prize, ahead of Alexia John (1:33:09) and Samantha Shukla (1:33:33). “Based on how I have been training,” 45-year-old Ekesa told the Express, “I was focused on doing my best, and was able to do the best time I’ve ever run on the UWI course. My personal best is 1:03, but that was in cooler conditions. Right now, given life still happens and I’m healthy, I can do a faster time still, even at this age.” Ekesa and Waldron were part of a seven-man lead pack that surged to the front shortly after the start, outside the UWI SPEC Building in St Augustine. That pack was down to four at the 3-mile mark, near Dinsley Junction on the Priority Bus Route (PBR), Ekesa, Waldron, Romany and Francis having separated themselves from the other early frontrunners. The top four were still together halfway through the race, making the “U” turn at La Resource Junction in D’Abadie as a group. By the 8-mile mark, however, Ekesa and Waldron had separated themselves, setting the stage for another two-man race. Last year, Waldron edged Ekesa for the title, getting home just one second ahead of the Kenyan. About nine miles into the 2025 edition, Ekesa and Waldron were still inseparable. Ekesa, though, looked stronger, opening up a two-stride gap on his 20-year-old rival by the 10-mile mark, near Cane Farm. A cheering crowd of 50-odd at the Eddie Hart Ground in Tacarigua, including a lively rhythm section and enthusiastic flag-wavers, spurred the leaders on. Fuelled by the energetic support, Ekesa then put the hammer down. The evergreen African accelerated in the El Dorado area, his impressive move in the “City of Gold” proving decisive in pursuit of his first-ever “UWI Half” title. Waldron was unable to respond, and by the time Ekesa motored past the Tunapuna Market, some 12 miles into the race, the veteran runner was all alone. Waldron had to settle for second spot, but had the considerable consolation of running a personal best. For Ekesa, things could not have gone better—victory and his best-ever UWI SPEC International Half Marathon clocking. “I think Tafari was struggling with the pace,” Ekesa explained. “I went a little faster, and when he didn’t respond, I just tried to push since there was still much left in my tank. The plan worked out.” Ekesa said the key to his success is training smart. “It’s all about commitment and discipline and knowing yourself, and understanding that at every age there are limits you cannot push. If you understand that, you can come up with a structured programme that fits into your age, and get the results you want. “I love this, and as long as I have life, I’ll keep running, not only in my 50s,” Ekesa ended, “but even up to 100.” Half Marathon 1 Alex Ekesa (Kenya) 1:08:33 2 Tafari Waldron (T&T) 1:08:58 3 Nicholas Romany (T&T) 1:11:06 4 Donnell Francis (T&T) 1:12:33 5 Darius Harding (T&T) 1:13:31 1 Aniqah Bailey (T&T) 1:30:36 2 Alexia John (T&T) 1:33:09 3 Samantha Shukla (T&T) 1:33:33 4 April Francis (T&T) 1:38:00 5 Shari Thomas (T&T) 1:40:17 1 Kerry McLaren 18:18 2 Zidan Hamid 18:19 3 Triston Bessot 19:26 1 Praveen Ramdeo 19:20 2 Reeta Mathai 19:22 3 Ziya Hosein Livingston 23:47
