Fresh off of a three-month training stint in Kenya, Bahamian long distance runner O'neil Williams is more determined than ever to make a name for himself in the half and full marathon.
Williams decided to convert full-time to marathon running several years ago and decided that Kenya would be the best place to hone his skills.
"Back in college I had a couple teammates that were from Kenya and I would always give them stiff competition when we ran against each other. One day, a few of them told me that I should come to Kenya to work on my craft once I was done with school," said Williams. "I decided to make the move because it was cheaper to live there than to live and train in the United States. Finance has been one of the biggest obstacles so far in my training. Right now, I'm training at home trying to pool enough resources to get back to Kenya so that I can return to my training, but it's expensive. Although the living conditions may not be top-notch, it costs over $1,000 to get there every time. I'm doing this all alone. I'm not getting any support from the government or the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), so everything I do is being supported by my family, friends and other people in the community."
On June 3, just before returning home, Williams competed in the 2017 Asics Stockholm Marathon in Stockholm, Sweden. Despite getting off to a strong start, Williams says he failed to finish the race, mostly due to the fact that he had insufficient training time and resources to prepare for a full marathon.
"I only had three and a half months to get ready. Usually for this kind of race you need at least six months to a year to prepare," said Williams. "I was on national record pace until I hit a wall at the 40-kilometer mark, then my body just shut down. I couldn't run anymore. Still wanting to finish, I walked the rest of the way."
Williams was timed in two hours, nine minutes and 24 seconds up to the point where he began walking. Williams said he's now trying to obtain enough funds to travel back to Kenya to train to qualify for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Marathon Championships in March of next year. Williams said his best time in the half marathon is 1:08. The qualifying time for the world championships is 1:06.
"I know if I can get back over there and get enough resources that I can fuel my body properly, I know I can knock two minutes off of my time," said Williams. "I believe if I can get the financial support, I can qualify for the championships. We haven't had a marathon runner represent the country in over 20 years, hopefully I can get the opportunity to change that."
Williams extended a special thank you to the people who have supported his journey up to this point, including Sarah Kennedy, Dionisio D'Aguilar and Eve Dorsett.
Williams, a former junior national team member, previously specialized in the 800 and the 1500 meters (m).

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