03/07/2026
Well, CariFin familyโฆ pull up a chair. This one deserves the full telling. ๐
Thirty-five years. Five events. Six weeks. Eleven of Trinidad & Tobago's finest financial institutions. And when it was all over โ the closest team finish we have ever seen.
But before we get to how it ended, let me take you back to how it began.
๐ฅ It began with the torch.
On Saturday, 11 April, we lit the flame outside CBTT Eric Williams Plaza. Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Larry Howai, laced up and led the procession of CEOs and Managing Directors through the streets of Port of Spain โ continuing a proud CariFin tradition.
Over 1,600 registered participants โ the biggest Urban Challenge in CariFin history.
The bar was set. The people came. The story began.
๐โโ๏ธ One Lap Savannah โ the legend returns.
Four days later, Curtis Cox of ANSA Financial Services โ four-time cross country king โ came back and reclaimed the Savannah. 15:15. Nine seconds ahead of the reigning champion Anton Robinson.
Nakifa Punter of Sagicor announced herself as the new Queen. Brian Jeremie of Central Bank made it four in a row. Zwena Carrington delivered for Central Bank after a grinding final-400 duel.
The season had a pulse. And it was racing.
๐ฑ Green Mile โ the King of the Grass roars back.
Anton Robinson answered. 5:21 โ the fastest mile of the night by four full seconds. The series was level, 1-1.
But the deeper story that night belonged to Jonathan Pierre of Central Bank. Four years of climbing โ from 15th place in 2023 to the silver medal. "I still know I have more in me," he said.
And in the walk? Debutant EXIM Bank's Ruthvin Walker walked straight into a shock victory in their very first CariFin season. A storyline nobody had written. ๐
โฐ๏ธ Chancellor Challenge โ the decider.
6 May. Everything on the line. And Anton Robinson answered the only question that remained โ beating the legend Cox on the climb to claim the 2026 Urban Challenge crown.
Nakifa Punter conquered the hills she calls "her thing."
Zwena Carrington โ fighting the flu, dedicating every step to her sister โ took the female walk again. Her third straight.
Champions don't ask for easy. They just answer.
๐ Aerobics Burnout โ and a moment no one planned.
Kirk Abraham defended his male title. Republic Bank's Dana Parris was crowned a new Queen.
But the moment that captured everything? It wasn't on the programme.
During the water break โ one by one, from every corner of the plaza โ each institution sent forward a flag waver. Eleven institutions. Eleven flags. Eleven colours held high. The crowd erupted.
Nobody called it. Nobody rehearsed it. It just happened.
That is why we have lasted 35 years. ๐ณ๏ธ
๐ The Closest Finish in Our History
๐ฅ Central Bank of T&T โ 538.10 ๐ฅ Sagicor โ 536.04 ๐ฅ First Citizens โ 523.84
Read it again. 2.06 points. That's all that separated champions from runners-up after six weeks of competition.
The closest team finish in the 35-year history of the CariFin Games.
Central Bank โ in the year they hosted, in the Bank where CariFin's story began in 1991 โ lifted the crown.
Governor Larry Howai: "The Central Bank is deeply honoured to be named champions of the 2026 CariFin Games, made even more special as it coincides with the 35th anniversary of the CariFin institution."
๐ So โ Let Me Tell You Why We Gather
Because a season like this cannot simplyโฆ end. It deserves a closing. A gathering. A moment where all of it is seen.
That moment has a name. The CariFin Prize Distribution Function.
It is not an afterthought to the Games. It is the destination of the Games.
A platform we have built โ deliberately, lovingly, over 35 years โ to do one thing the everyday working world almost never does:
To stop. To gather. And to truly honour the people who showed up.
Think about who our people are.
Analysts. Tellers. HR officers. Accountants. IT specialists. Managers. Men and women who spend their days behind desks and deadlines, carrying the pressure of the financial sector on their shoulders.
The world rarely pauses to celebrate them.
The Prize Distribution Function exists to do exactly that.
The one night where the spreadsheet is closed. The inbox is silent. And the spotlight turns to them.
For the person who trained at 5am when no one was watching โ it is the night their discipline is recognised.
For the team that came together across departments โ the night their unity is celebrated.
For the first-timer who was terrified at the start line and finished anyway โ the night they learn they belong.
For the institution chasing the podium โ the night their pride has a home.
It is a room built for two kinds of people, and both are equally welcome.
Those who come to receive โ the champions, the podium finishers, the record breakers.
And those who come to cheer โ the colleagues, the supporters, the teammates whose voices carried someone across a finish line.
Aspiration and encouragement, under one roof.
That is the magic.
Brian Jeremie of Central Bank โ our four-time walking champion โ said it best:
"CariFin is not just about competition. It is about healthy living, friendship, fitness, and networking."
Because in the end, CariFin has never really been about running, or walking, or aerobics. It has been about what those things give us:
๐ช The health to keep going. ๐ค The friendships that outlast the season. ๐ The team spirit that turns a workplace into a family. โจ The quiet, powerful belief that we are all capable of more than a desk and a deadline.
The Prize Distribution Function is where we say all of that out loud.
Where we look each champion in the eye and say:
"We saw you. We honour you. And you inspired us."
๐ Save the Date
๐
Thursday, 30 July 2026 ๐ Central Bank Auditorium, Port of Spain ๐ Doors 5:00 PM ยท Programme 5:30 PM ๐ Business Casual
Come to receive. Come to cheer. Come to be part of the moment where 35 years of Fun ยท Fitness ยท Friendship is honoured the way it deserves.
See you on the 30th. ๐
Fun ยท Fitness ยท Friendship 35 Years and counting.
