Guyanese amputees in quest to compete in Boston Marathon

– William “The Conqueror” France tries for record of oldest man in marathon

Three men stopped traffic on Saturday as they stood in the middle of the roadway in East Coast Demerara, Guyana, clutching their crutches to balance on their three legs. These men were appealing to the public for financial assistance as it is their aim to be part of the 2015 Boston Marathon.

This newspaper had the opportunity to speak to these men while they stood on the public road of Montrose to get the attention of commuters. Surprisingly, people were very supportive, as cars stopped to donate what little they could to the men’s hopes for an experience of a lifetime.

William France, a well known amputee, who thrives on giving back and fighting against enormous odds, was found to be the man behind the effort. France said that it costs a total of Gy$1.23 million for three amputees to go to the marathon. However, what they need at this point is Gy$184,000.

France had taken part in the Boston Marathon before, the last time being eight years ago. This time, he said he has a specific purpose as it will be his last time and he wants to be the oldest man in the world to compete in the marathon. He stated that winning is not a must but it would be great to hold that record. The oldest man currently holding the record for competing in the Boston Marathon is Dick Shoe, who was 56 years old when he last competed in the marathon. France is 58 years old.

France admits that he was a bad egg. He lost his leg as a result of stealing from Hamilton Green, who was the Prime Minister at the time. He elaborated on the incident, stating that he was shot eleven times about the body but managed to survive. He however lost his leg, but says he wears it as a badge of honour, as the loss of the leg taught him a lot about life.

He stated that losing one’s leg or having a disability does not make one helpless, one is still human all through this. “Na because you get a disability you can’t do things”, he stated. This has been his mantra as he has continuously encouraged persons to not give up on life.

It has been 35 years since he lost his leg but he has been able to be a part of many competitions; the Boston Marathon being the most notable of them. France was also able to raise funds for several charities, at one time raising over Gy$8.43 million.

France spoke with pride when he told this publication about his family – his wife and three children.

Men on a mission

Terry Roopnarine – one of the tree men soliciting support from the public – is quite happy that France went down the road he did as he told this publication that France encouraged him a lot, lending unwavering support when he lost his leg four years ago. The 33-year-old said he lost the use of his right leg in an accident in the interior when a tree fell on him. Roopnarine said at the time of the accident, he was working as a Pork knocker and said he was quite lucky to be alive, even without a leg.

He told this publication that at first that he felt quite helpless, as he was married with a son and a daughter and there was not much he could have done for himself. However, Roopnarine said that he fell in with some other amputees and found that it was not as bad as he thought. He began to teach himself how to do things for himself and now he can even drive without help.

The amputee said that such activities help to boost one’s morale and it is better than feeling sorry for yourself. He spoke of people committing suicide because they no longer have an arm or leg and said that it is important “to have hope… put down that feeling, that thinking and everything gon be good for them.”

Roopnarine said he is looking forward to the marathon as it is an experience that does not come around every day. He said he, along with some friends have been training in the National Park, at the seawalls, and even Mocha, on the East Bank of Demerara. He stated that it is a lot of work, since the distance covers 26 miles.

However, Roopnarine stated that they still need a lot of money to be able to make the trip to the United States for the marathon.

The last of the three man team, Garvin Jeffers said that the marathon is a chance for him to show the world that amputee persons can still be part of life. He reminisced on that time when there used to be persons in wheelchairs paying basketball at the park and at sports centres in Georgetown. He said that there is “nuff thing we could do.”