Carifin Games

Well, CariFin family… pull up a chair. This one deserves the full telling. 🏆

Thirty-five years. Five events. Six weeks. Eleven of Trinidad & Tobago's finest financial institutions. And when it was all over — 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.

🔥 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 — continuing a proud CariFin tradition.

Over 1,600 registered participants — the biggest Urban Challenge in CariFin history.

The bar was set. The people came. The story began.

🏃‍♂️ One Lap Savannah — the legend returns.

Four days later, Curtis Cox of ANSA Financial Services — four-time cross country king — 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.

🌱 Green Mile — the King of the Grass roars back.

Anton Robinson answered. 5:21 — 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 — 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. 💛

⛰️ Chancellor Challenge — the decider.

6 May. Everything on the line. And Anton Robinson answered the only question that remained — 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 — fighting the flu, dedicating every step to her sister — took the female walk again. Her third straight.

Champions don't ask for easy. They just answer.

💃 Aerobics Burnout — 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 — one by one, from every corner of the plaza — 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. 🏳️

🏆 The Closest Finish in Our History
🥇 Central Bank of T&T — 538.10 🥈 Sagicor — 536.04 🥉 First Citizens — 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 — in the year they hosted, in the Bank where CariFin's story began in 1991 — 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."

💛 So — Let Me Tell You Why We Gather
Because a season like this cannot simply… 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 — deliberately, lovingly, over 35 years — 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 — it is the night their discipline is recognised.

For the team that came together across departments — the night their unity is celebrated.

For the first-timer who was terrified at the start line and finished anyway — the night they learn they belong.

For the institution chasing the podium — 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 — the champions, the podium finishers, the record breakers.

And those who come to cheer — 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 — our four-time walking champion — 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:

💪 The health to keep going. 🤝 The friendships that outlast the season. 🎉 The team spirit that turns a workplace into a family. ✨ 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."

🎉 Save the Date
📅 Thursday, 30 July 2026 📍 Central Bank Auditorium, Port of Spain 🕔 Doors 5:00 PM · Programme 5:30 PM 👔 Business Casual

Come to receive. Come to cheer. Come to be part of the moment where 35 years of Fun · Fitness · Friendship is honoured the way it deserves.

See you on the 30th. 💛

Fun · Fitness · Friendship 35 Years and counting.

THE JOURNEY TO CARIFIN CHAMPION TEAM VICTORY - 2026

🏆 CARIFIN GAMES 2026 — THE WHOLE STORY, FROM THE TORCH TO THE TROPHY (Part 1) 🏆
Well, CariFin family… pull up a chair. ☕ This one deserves the full telling. Thirty-five years. Five events. Six weeks. Eleven of our finest institutions. 👇
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🔥 IT BEGAN WITH THE TORCH�On Saturday 11th April, we lit the flame outside CBTT Eric Williams Plaza — and for the first time, the Governor of the Central Bank himself, Mr. Larry Howai, laced up and led the procession of CEOs and Managing Directors through the streets of Port of Spain. 🏃🏾‍♂️ Twelve institutional legs. The opening of our 35th Anniversary season, themed Evolve. Excel. Empower. The bar was set high.
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🏃🏾‍♂️ ONE LAP SAVANNAH — THE LEGEND RETURNS�The racing began with an earthquake. Curtis Cox (ANSA) — four-time cross country king — reclaimed the Savannah in 15:15, holding off reigning champ Anton Robinson (First Citizens) by just nine seconds. 😮 Nakifa Punter (Sagicor) announced herself as the new Queen of CariFin running, while Brian Jeremie made it four in a row in the walk and Zwena Carrington delivered for Central Bank.
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⚡ GREEN MILE — THE KING OF THE GRASS ROARS BACK�Robinson answered with thunder — 5:21, the fastest mile of the evening, crowning himself "King of the Grass." 👑 Series level 1-1. But the heart belonged to Jonathan Pierre (Central Bank), whose four-year climb from 15th place reached the silver medal. And the shock of the season: with Jeremie absent, debutant EXIM Bank's Ruthvin Walker walked into a victory in their very first season. ✍️

PART 2 COMING SOON!

With Meguella Simon – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers 🎉

Two men crossed the line at the top of Lady Chancellor Hill in the same second. One in red — Mikael Joachim, UTC. One in maroon — Jonathan Pierre, CBTT. Bib 1146 and bib 1558, side by side, both legs burning, both arms pumping, both pushing the last metres of a climb that does not forgive.
The clock read 15:07. For both of them.
That is the kind of thing you cannot script. Two institutions, two athletes, one second — and a tie for silver and bronze that no judge could split.
CariFin runs on the friendly rivalry between our institutions. But the Hill has its own rules. The Hill doesn't care which logo is on your jersey. It asks the same question of every runner: how much have you got left?
Mikael had every drop. So did Jonathan. They crossed inseparable.
That, right there, is the Games.

"Movement is the meeting your calendar forgot to schedule."

The climb that closed the season.
On Wednesday, May 6th, the final of the CariFin Games Urban Challenge ran from the bottom of Lady Chancellor Hill all the way to the top. Eleven institutions from our local financial sector came together — over one thousand people registered — to climb that hill under the 2026 theme: Evolve, Excel, Empower.
Some ran it. Some jogged it. Some walked every step for their own health and fitness. All of them moved. That is what 35 years of Fun, Fitness & Friendship looks like.
We want to thank the institutions for showing up year after year. The volunteers who give their time freely. The twelve police officers who gave us that sense of safety. The fire services ambulance services who covered the medical side. The everyday users of the hill who shared the road with us that morning. Our judges, for their presence and expertise. And Odyssey Timing, for getting us across the line — accurately — another year.
The summit belongs to people who refuse to stop before reaching it. 🇹🇹

Catch our Aerobics photos from https://www.flickr.com/gp/funfitnessfriendship/854y6F4W7b

It happened without a word.
During the water break at Aerobics Burnout, one person reached for a flag and began to wave. Then another. Then another — Sagicor, CLICO, Scotiabank, First Citizens, Guardian Group, Unit Trust — until a flag-waving frenzy, a flag-waving display, a flag-waving friendly rivalry filled the circle our participants had formed.
Nobody planned it. Nobody prompted it. One person started, and every institution knew exactly what to do.
For 35 years I dreamed of a moment like this — every team in the financial sector, side by side, waving for the pure joy of it, to the music, to the vibes of the evening. And here it was, on our 35th anniversary, happening all on its own.
This is what Fun, Fitness & Friendship looks like when it's real. 🇹🇹