Dedicated to Olympic Marathoner and 10,000 meter Olympic runner, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania

By Douglas J. Lanzo
Copyright 2021

First published in Academy of the Heart and Mind on April 26, 2021

“My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race.  They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.” John Stephen Akhwari, explaining why he never gave up

Cramping from the altitude,
many miles left to run,
one marathoner persevered,
through pain and summer sun;

Tangled in Olympic pack,
jockeying for position,
falling hard to asphalt road,
but never losing sight of mission;

With dislocated knee,
bloody gashes and shoulder pain,
he battled in last place,
one goal left to attain;

More than an hour
after Ethiopia proudly claimed gold,
hobbling into Mexico City’s stadium,
a remarkable site to behold;

Limping with each step,
bandage flapping in the breeze,
he circled the fabled track,
despite badly injured knees;

The few thousand spectators
remaining past stadium sunset,
witnessed the grittiest performance
that Olympics had seen yet;

Cheering John Stephen Akhwari
boisterously to the finish line,
they recognized the Olympic Spirit
his heroic example would enshrine,
bringing honor to Tanzania,
with love of country he did shine.