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Pulse of the Caribbean
The Pulse of the Caribbean Podcast with Kysha captures the Caribbean spirit. Listen to the latest news from the region, interviews with beautiful Caribbean people making exceptional contributions worldwide, and travel with us as we highlight destinations and activities. Inspirational messages are also shared. Experience the essence of the Caribbean right here.
Pulse of the Caribbean
#31 The Victory Run Walk Half Marathon: Craig Matthias turning an event into a movement
What does it take to run a marathon and turn an event into a movement? Join us as we hear from Craig Mathias, the visionary behind the Living Hope Cathedral Victory Run Walk Half Marathon in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We explore his experiences in grueling races like the Virgin Gorda half marathon and the Baltimore Marathon, where he raced in solidarity with a friend. Craig's passion highlights how marathons go beyond the physical challenge, touching on the motivation and life-changing impacts they can have.
This episode is packed with practical guidance and heartwarming tales. We also dive into the rich Caribbean culture, melding entrepreneurial spirit and faith, and the mouth-watering local cuisine that fuels this vibrant community. Whether you're a seasoned marathoner or just starting your fitness journey, Craig's story will motivate you to tackle your goals.
Craig Mathias businessman, man of fate and one of the founding pioneers of Victory Run Walk Half Marathon in the US Virgin Islands is our guest on today's Pulse of the Caribbean podcast. Welcome to the Pulse of the Caribbean podcast. I'm Keisha Blyden. Craig Mathias, one of the founding pioneers behind the Living Hope Cathedral Victory Run Walk Half Marathon in St Thomas, us, virgin Islands, is our guest on today's Pulse of the Caribbean podcast. While the Caribbean is known for its beautiful destination, exotic cuisine, colorful culture, beaches, tropical excursions, rich history, it's also known for marathons and half marathons that have been growing in popularity over the years. Locals in the islands and visitors alike can participate in marathons and half marathons through the region. Today, we're talking about the Victory Run Walk that took place on St Thomas, virgin Islands, and it's growing in notoriety. Today, craig Mathias, one of its founding pioneers, will share its history, why it started planning for the marathon and more, and with that we say welcome, craig Mathias.
Craig Matthias:Thank you, I'm honored to be here again.
Public Of the Caribbean :We are the Pulse of the Caribbean, so tell us what makes you Caribbean.
Craig Matthias:So tell us what makes you Caribbean Born and raised. Born and raised in St Thomas, raised in the BVI's, believe it or not. The British was my grandfather. Grandmother was a farmer and a housewife and I don't know that it gets any more Caribbean than that. Cows, goats, donkeys, horses, that kind of stuff, chickens, you know all that. Farming the land, fishing in the ocean I mean that's.
Public Of the Caribbean :Caribbean 101. And that sounds like a great love of being outdoors, involved in nature, and how appropriate. Tell us about what got you involved in marathons. Have you ran a?
Craig Matthias:marathon before? Yes, I have, but interestingly, just to go back a bit further, I was never really a runner. It's something that I developed, a gift that I didn't know I possessed. But, more importantly, you know, fitness is really my foundation and I always wanted to be healthy. I think it was maybe 13, 14 when an uncle of mine died from colon cancer and that propelled me on a track for health, eating right, you know, doing the right things, and it's a process right, and that process drives you to structure your life a certain type of way. And so, you know, doing that along with my health goals, I ended up running because running was one way to really, I guess, accomplish that level of endurance or energy that one would desire to have. And so, you know, running presented that for me, and you know you started running short distances and then long distances. In school I ran, but I never was really a runner, but it's something I developed later on in life.
Public Of the Caribbean :So tell us about some of the races that you've participated in.
Craig Matthias:Where have you traveled? You know it's interesting In 2016, this is unheard of, but in 2016, I participated in a half a marathon in the BVI Virgin Gordas specifically. I participated in a half a marathon in the BVI Virgin Gordas specifically. That's called the beast literally the beast. It's hilly, it's hot, it's everything you don't want to do when you're running. But that was my first introduction to a half a marathon.
Craig Matthias:You know, in the Virgin Islands, Harrison Thomas, we have eight tough miles, we have M2M. These are all eight milers and I've done quite a bit of those and, of course, each year you try to improve your time. But interestingly, most interestingly, in 2016, I did that half marathon in the BVIs and in the same year I traveled to Baltimore, maryland, and we did the Baltimore Marathon down in Harbor, and that was, I mean, never really desired to do a marathon, but for whatever reason, I did um. I was trying to really motivate a friend um who had a desire for it and and so I was like I'm like a major supporter, major motivator, and so I'll do anything to get someone to that next level, to to accomplish their dreams, and so I I went ahead and did that, and it was just a month or two after I did a half marathon, which is really never unheard of. You want to train for those types of things?
Public Of the Caribbean :So that's so very interesting. You mentioned it's a team effort, so someone that wanted to do it, and so you were a team that participated in it. So certainly long distance running and being involved in a marathon that could be someone's bucket list in terms of participation and also, as you mentioned, running and marathons also known for positive health and well-being as well. So was this a part of the inspiration behind the Victory Run Walk? Tell us about how it got started and why.
Craig Matthias:The ideology behind it, the idea, the vision. It was all about a healthy church and in a healthy community. That ship has sailed. So now we're looking at global. We're looking at this globally.
Craig Matthias:But again, the marathon taught me a lot. And in a marathon, it's not about running the marathon, it's about finishing the marathon and and that's life in itself, right, if, if you have, um, a goal in life, um, you know the. The goal is one thing, the journey is something else, and so the marathon presents that. It presents the goal is to finish, but then you got to do the journey, which and that in and of itself is going to task you. It's going to challenge you mentally, physically and even spiritually. But again, it's about motivation, it's about inspiration, it's about really having impact on other people's lives, and I think the computer marathon says a lot about an individual. Again, it goes back to the church and having a healthier church, but it's so much more than that. It's about individuals who have desire to do something, whether it's okay. So you've had surgery on your back, or you've had surgery on your leg, or you have open heart surgery, you've had overcome a disease like cancer or you, whatever those medical challenges are, you've overcome that right, and so Victory presents that opportunity for you to celebrate that. Celebrate that with a bunch of like-minded individuals who have overcome something else, whether it's that or whether it's a financial, whether it's educational accomplishment, whatever those things are in life that you've accomplished, had a difficult time doing it.
Craig Matthias:Victory presents that. We have three races within one. One race and half a marathon is the, is the eclipse is the ultimate challenge for you. But then there's a 5k, there's a 10k. You know you can work your way up to that half, uh, half a marathon, but really understanding the purpose and the goal is to finish. Whatever you start, whatever you desire to to accomplish. Um, victory presents that right. We, we, we, the. The idea is that once you start, we would be there with you to the end, no matter what happens in between.
Public Of the Caribbean :So you mentioned about a church participation, so I know that you are one of the founding pioneers, so tell us about the church participation on that church that you're part of, that supported this effort.
Craig Matthias:Look at Hope Cathedral. So it's a local church, non-denominational, seek and worship God. The goal and the vision of the pastor, who, at once, was overweight, wanted to be healthier, and so for him, he needed to do whatever it needed to be done if he's going to lead people to that vision. And so he had a first thought that, or believed that, in his mind, and I think once he got that uh locked in him and his wife, first lady reva richardson, and pastor bishop carl richardson, though, those were the ones that sold me the vision and I bought it and I ran with it and I took it to the church, I took it to the community, and you know now victory is community. And you know now victory is just that it's about health.
Craig Matthias:In the end, it's about being healthy and what it takes to be healthy, what it requires of one to be able to come and run Even just a 5K. It requires a certain mindset, right, and so it's all about the mindset. It's all about healthy at church. You know our church seats about 250 members, but then you know our church seeks about 250 members, but then you know it's also growing, and so we want them to to really be healthier or have a healthier approach to life in and of itself, in its entirety. You know, it's not just exercise, but it's also diet, it's also rest. There's also, you know, the mental aspect of life. Uh, how does that play out in the end? Are you able to really deal with life as it comes to you, because life is full of so many different things? Victory presents that, and the idea of a healthier you presents that.
Public Of the Caribbean :Tell us when the event is held because it's an annual event and what are some of the things that occur during this walk run.
Craig Matthias:So victory it started in 2022, victory itself, but the ministry, the foundation of the run walk, health that began when, well before my time, but when I got in there in 2011, that's when I saw a need for more of that.
Craig Matthias:Right, you know, not just meeting once a week, every couple of months, it was every week, multiple times a week. If we want to be healthy, we're going to have to do some work. And so that began in 2011 when I, when I got in, in terms of the frequency, but way before me, 2007, I think, is when the church started they always wanted to be healthy or healthier. And so, in 2011, you know, I got in there and I, you know, really sort of put some time into the ministry and try to, you know, really encapsulate what it takes to get a healthier church and a healthier community. And it took off from there. And so in 2022, we started Victory's First Event event, which was a 5k um, sort of a soft launch into the community um, and that that was very successful um in its, in its, in its, in its how should I say, in its, in its commencement in in 2022.
Craig Matthias:Labor day weekend right, it's a Day weekend. The church has this beach picnic that they invite the community up to right Street food. You know, have fun. You know everybody just chit, chat, swim. You know we have games on the beach, you know, and that's just a community aspect of it. And so we added, okay, how do we mix the two of them? And so we decided to do them on the same day Labor Day 2022. And that worked out kind of sort of well, but we realized that we can't have both. It was just too much work and so we decided to spend our victory the weekend before the Labor Day party or the Labor Day beach picnic, and so that's always going to be on the Labor Day Saturday, the Saturday before Labor Day.
Craig Matthias:We always going to be on a Labor Day Saturday, the Saturday before Labor Day, we're going to have this run and obviously, you know, we had some challenges in where, you know, the Virgin Islands is very hilly. We had to find a route that is, you know, doable for most, because most of the runners that are going to come out are not going to be half a marathoners. It's going to be just normal people, especially if we are talking about overcoming a um, a surgery, overcoming a sickness or overcoming something that was tough in your life. We got to stop get you, get you in there softly, and so half a marathon requires training.
Craig Matthias:Really, um, the foundation of it really began in 2022. Victory, that is um, and, and that 2023 was quite a success. It grew from there and obviously in 2024 or third year, um it's it's growing even more. We've got a lot of really great feedback this year and so we're planning ahead for 25, starting next month. So we're gonna we're gonna get a real uh, a good look at how we can improve better experience for our participants and even really try to reach some other run groups outside of the Virgin Islands and really encapsulate this on a global scale.
Public Of the Caribbean :And the theme of the marathon that you have. It's I'm an Overcomer and it is something that you said was birthed out of the health ministry at the church that grew so not only the church getting healthier, but where you brought it together with a culminating activity just before or right after Labor Day, where the church has an annual beach picnic. So that will be the culmination of the event, but certainly Labor Day weekend or leading up to Labor Day, that's when the event is held and certainly with that you've involved the community in different ways and that includes both residents as well as persons from within the region or even outside of the region that have an interest in starting down that track with I'm an Overcomer. The theme and you said that can span so many different areas, whether it is in health, whether it is in finances or whatever it is in terms of overcoming. So it is a celebration Any and everyone can participate in because of the route that you chose. So tell us about the scenic route that you chose for the walk run on St Thomas.
Craig Matthias:Yeah so victory. As you would imagine, any route of that magnitude we're talking half a marathon, that's 13.1 miles, um, and then you have the other ones in between. But but the half a marathon is is obviously the, the challenge, and so the terrain I mean the virgin island in and of itself is beautiful right. So, in on this particular route, you, my coaches and I carved out something. Primarily the concern was safety and you know, obviously, working with the government and VIPD and rescue and the different agencies, that has, you know, property that we have to run past or walk past. There was roundtables in terms of how we do that, how we accomplish that, but 85% of this run it's scenic in terms of, like you're running along the water, you have visuals of literal boats flying by you as you run down the route, the breeze, the ocean breeze, all that stuff really, as he comes, as he goes west or comes back east on the route. Now, the route itself um, it starts at the central point of shahramali, which is a havenside cruise ship dock, um, and it goes west, uh, west, along the sidewalks, um, there's a couple um crosswalks where we have support there with vipd and and rescue, so it's predominantly, primarily, safe all the way down to the western of the island, past the airport, to Brewer's Beach, which is, again you turn around at, a beach. So, again, the scenery is just amazing, virgin Islands being what it is very mountainous, very scenic. You're going to encounter some hills and some slopes and some inclines, um, and so we couldn't avoid all of those.
Craig Matthias:But it's 95 flat this route, um, and I think, for folks that are looking at it, we're we're working on our mapping. Uh, last year we had, this year we had a map that was better than the one last year in 23 um. But of course, you know, we continue to strive to to provide a better mapping for those individuals from the region who wants to, you know, really understand what's involved in this 13.1 marathon or half marathon run, and even the 10K, which is that's 99,. No, actually that's 100% flat. The 5K, of course, we are targeting those individuals who are overcoming something. So that's again 100% flat. But we're in the tropics. You know what can we say? Right, you know, being on the Virgin Islands it means that 24, 365, you're probably going to be between 85 and 90 degrees. So that's just the way it is. The humidity, we also the route itself was carved out with those things in mind. But 95% flat the half a marathon and everything else is flat 100%.
Public Of the Caribbean :But really considering those individuals as they pound the pavement with the heat, Sue, it's a scenic route, primarily along the water line, waterfront, the shore, as you said, ended up at the beach, so certainly. And then routing back, as you said. Ended up at the beach, so certainly.
Craig Matthias:And then routing back and along the way of course, you mentioned that there was support and also hydration stations as well. Yes, again, we designed these routes like most marathons, like most runs, every mile and a half, two miles, you're going to be hydrated or there's going to be people to make sure you're not, you know, burned out or dehydrated, you know, not to mention the motivation aspect of that. That's something that we implemented, um from the onset, um, but more so because, again, 13 miles as opposed to where we started with a 5k, you know, 3.3.2 to 13. That'sa big difference. So we got to make sure, along this scenic, beautiful route, you're motivated as well. So make sure, along this scenic, beautiful route, you're motivated as well. So support is huge. That's our second priority, next to safety, is that you're motivated in every mile or two miles, that someone there to greet you, that someone to make sure you're hydrated, that someone to make sure you're safe. So that is primarily what we're trying to achieve as we attract more and more as the years go by.
Public Of the Caribbean :And what are your tips for preparing for the victory run walk, half marathon and even a marathon, as you have done. So what is some of the tips that you told those participants that registered for the victory run?
Craig Matthias:Well, we have early registration and in 2025, absolutely for that we're going to start targeting that, maybe six months out, seven months, maybe even eight months out, to try to get people more interested. Because, again, the idea is that if you want to do a half a marathon, that's six months training, three to six months training, and you know, we obviously provide training, but we also advise folks that are not here on training schedules and how to really get prepared for something like a half a marathon in the Virgin Islands. All right. So if you're mainland, obviously, and you're coming in to do a destination run, which is the goal for victory is to make it a destination run in the Caribbean, in the Virgin Islands particularly. You know, if you're coming in like that, you're probably a runner, you're probably going to be training, you probably understand training aspects and what's required of wanting to do a half a marathon.
Craig Matthias:But we want to paint a picture of the Virgin Islands running a half a marathon. What does that really look like? You've got to train in the heat. You've got to understand the heat aspect. How does that affect you? Because, for me, when I did the baltimore half a marathon, that was in october right, that was cold. It was 45 degrees at race day. Um, I trained in the virgin islands and it's 85 degrees. How am I gonna do this? That was my thought then. Uh, the day before the run. So I had to get warmers and had to prepare myself for that I had the legs.
Craig Matthias:I had the mindset but didn't really understand the temperature. So that's something that I really really want against making sure you understand, one, the temperature up at the time and prepare for that. Because if you come out, like me in that Baltimore Marathon, 45 degrees, how do you start a race when you train an 85 degree? So I had to get Walmart's and then you know by what I mile 11 I was, I was, I was in a lot of problems because my body started to overheat, uh, with the warmers that I had on and I had to strip down and get, you know, get myself to that place where I could actually continue, not even finish at that point it wasn't even about finishing, it was about just about, about continuous, about finishing, um. And so, because I wasn't prepared for the weather, um, I ran into that problem at halfway into the race. So for me, my number one suggestion wanting is prepare, understand the climate down here, understand how you can prepare or be better prepared for what's going to be humid in terms of, you know, the heat aspect and just generally, even though we have a beautiful scenic route, you're going to encounter the heat factor or the humidity factor. So that's something that I really, really want.
Craig Matthias:We have training programs for those that are going to be local or close by. You can come and run with us in the mornings or even during the time that we think the race is going to be held, which is typically right before sunrise. We get out there right before sunrise. We actually start the race, particularly the half a marathon. We want to get out there before the sun blazes up, because it's going to catch you out there, and so training is pivotal, pivotal, I can't stress enough. Training, even the 10k um. We we suggest training for that's. That's a three-month training for those who want to really have good times, but because for some is about times and for some is about finishing um, and so that's two different mediums there in terms of how you approach it, but training is absolutely pivotal so tell us about the training, because you mentioned that you have training and I take that as something that membership of the Living Hope Cathedral as a part of your help ministry, that you do these help runs and walks.
Public Of the Caribbean :So tell us about the training and what goes into the training.
Craig Matthias:Again, we talked about the health and healing ministry. It's it's probably, believe it or not, it's the biggest part of the church, right? We? It's not even just a church. It's probably, believe it or not, it's the biggest part of the church, right? It's not even just a church, it's a community. We have a lot of people in the community that come out and participate with us in just these health workouts.
Craig Matthias:That's three days a week Monday, tuesday and Saturday. Saturdays is our run day, and so that's sort of a training in and of itself. But when we talk about victory and we talk about preparing for victory six months out, three months out, four months, depending on which aspect of victory you're gonna participate uh, we have specific training regimens that we implement and we work on those and that's those go um again the same monday, tuesday and saturday. And we even go uh, because with those trainings it's usually four days a week training, and then you have rest days and then you have workout days.
Craig Matthias:You've got to do strength training, but the run aspect, the aspect of that level of training, is two to four days a week and then we implement strength training and then we talk about diet. That's another big deal. You have to understand how to eat. I mean, that's a struggle for a lot of us in the Caribbean. But if you want to participate, if you want to live a healthier life, we stress diet big time, big time, especially if you want to, like I said, compete for one of these runs 10K or particularly half a marathon. Those require a lot of discipline in terms of how you train, and training comes along with diet, rest and all that we encapsulate.
Public Of the Caribbean :So tell us about the oldest and youngest participants that you had in the Victory Run WOD for 2024.
Craig Matthias:Yeah, this year, 2024, was exciting. I mean, we again. Last year we saw 120 participants, this year we saw 200. And with that 200 came a lot of other folks right 83 years old that was our oldest guy. I couldn't believe that. He emailed us and asked us for a discount for senior citizens. That was a strange request. So we took that. I said, uh, can we talk about this? Because this is a hurrah. You don't see an 83-year-old.
Craig Matthias:By the way, I saw an 82-year-old on that marathon in Baltimore. I believe that was an angel, more than anything else. But this 83-year-old reached out to us via email asking for a discount, and so I asked him if we could have a conversation. And we did. And I said to him I said, you know, we've never seen or never even thought about an 83-year-old. So for you, pro bono, this will cost you nothing. Your participation alone is motivation, is inspiration. Please, please, come to my office. We will give you a shirt and a bib and register you at no cost.
Craig Matthias:So that was an 83-year-old and, believe it or not, this guy finished the race. But Vincent was this 83-year-old. And then we had a baby and a toddler. He was less than a year old. His mom and dad. They came out with their baby in a stroller. That was again. This is what victory means. It's about coming out. Families, babies, doesn't matter how old you are, how young you are, come on out, because, again, I think the youngest participant for the Victory 5K I think it was six years or seven years old these kids come on and participated in Victory and what it meant to really participate at that age.
Public Of the Caribbean :So when you said that, that said so much about the involvement of families, involvement of teams and to the senior level where we had the over 80 years participant that took part. So with that, tell us, what has marathon running, or this victory run, walk, what has it taught you?
Craig Matthias:this victory, run, walk. What has it taught you? So you know that's a really good question In the midst of that marathon in Baltimore, as I talked about overheating of my body I didn't talk about mile 18, where I had cramps I had cramps from my Achilles to my gluteus maximus on both legs at the same time, and that was a lot of pain, as you would imagine. A cramp or cramping in the midst of you trying to move those joints or those muscles. And it taught me about perseverance. And it taught me about self-doubting. It taught me about how to respond to pressure self-doubting. It taught me about how to respond to pressure. It taught me about how to finish what you started and what that requires of an individual. But, most importantly, the marathon gave me the ability to know that it's doable.
Craig Matthias:Right that no matter where you are, no matter what the challenge is, no matter what that journey in life looks like, the goal should always remain the same. And if your goal is to finish, no matter what happens between mile one and mile 26, it's the journey, right? That journey is going to change, and for me it did multiple times along that 26 mile route, and so for me it's about start finishing what you start in life, whether it's, you know, you have a financial goal, you have an educational goal, you have a health goal. In the midst of that, whether it takes you 10 years or 15 years or five years or two years, In the midst of that timeline, you're going to have issues that you're going to have to face and the question is always, always, always how do you respond?
Public Of the Caribbean :And what are some inspiring stories behind the Victory Run Walk? Have you heard any stories from participants that have taken part in the Victory Run Walk as a?
Craig Matthias:matter of fact, we have a bunch of interviews we are still reviewing from the photographer, but those are the real stories that we got. But there were individuals who actually went on social media and talked about how they were touched because we had a prayer tent at the end of the run, so when you come back we can pray with you. We got a huge amount of feedback on that. That's something that we implemented in 2024. We didn't have in 23. As you cross the finish line, uh, that was a new implementation that went. We got a really lot of real feedback on that. So that's something that folks were just thankful for and grateful for to be able to have someone to pray with them. Um, after that exhausting run, um. And then we had some individuals who came out who were post-surgery um knee surgeries. We got some feedback on individuals who was like, wow, we actually did it. Whether it was a 5k or 10k, they actually said, oh man, this victory. And then you know, along the road, they're talking about the motivational um inspiration that they had with the intervals, with the volunteers. That really pushed them to finish even though they thought about giving up. So we know that those pieces work in terms of the volunteering and the motivational aspect, the 83-year-old guy, you know. He talked about the amount of people that were with him at the last four miles just willing him to finish, no matter what. It's just so much feedback that we got that were positive. One guy got lost along the route so we got to mention those as well, but he was able to get redirected, but he lost time, and so those are the type of things we are absolutely going to work on, but really, um, in the end, the totality of the feedback was positive. It was about the reason for for for them coming out. We had this one individual came from new york, found us on facebook and social media, came down just to do the run. That was amazing. Didn't expect that. So we have reached, obviously, the work that was done by the marketing team, leon, you know let's do business he I mean I can't say enough about this guy in terms of what he brought, what he has brought to the table, how he has promoted and marketed his brand.
Craig Matthias:Victory, and what victory means. So when we have people coming from puerto rico, sincro, down island, saint john to atola, people coming from all over the caribbean to participate in this vision, right, this vision about overcoming, and then the challenge of 13 miles somewhere in the virgin islands, because outside of the us virgin islands, the marketing aspect is what really helped us to to be able to get these folks to come in to give us a feedback. That lady from new york vows to come back and bring her friends, the guy from puerto rico, the lola challenge that's a big deal. In san juan they got, I think, like 30 something. Thousand runners thought about victory on facebook, came over to participate a couple of them. They were ecstatic about it.
Craig Matthias:Then we have folks on the philippines um, they live here locally, but it's a group of about 10, 20 of them. They came out, they were ecstatic about this run. It was like, oh my God, where did this come from? Why didn't we know about this before? They're going to come back and they're going to bring more people. So this is the impact of victory, right, and so we hope that next year 2025, we have more impact, more positive impact, more importantly, about reaching the community and reaching outside of the community, globally.
Public Of the Caribbean :That is so awesome to hear about the reach, and certainly that occurred through your marketing within the region and beyond, where you got participants you mentioned from New York, from within the region in Puerto Rico, from New York, from within the region in Puerto Rico and certainly the word is continuing to spread and grow about the Victory Run Walk and the beauty about it is just a title alone Victory Run Walk so if you are not a runner, you can still participate in it at the various levels where you can come out and do a walk.
Public Of the Caribbean :It's still movement and under the theme, I'm an overcomer and it's so beautiful to know that because it is something that was driven faith-based at the end of the run, where there is also the opportunity to pray. You mentioned about having a prayer tent, so certainly that is something that is inspiring and encouraging as well. So certainly, once you go out, you have the encouragement and then, in terms of faith and prayer, whatever challenges, or certainly even a prayer of thanksgiving, whatever those prayer needs were, those needs were also met at the end of the race and that is so beautiful. That being said, what is your message to people that may have had an interest in participating but they have not. We know you've spoken about the weather and being prepared. We know that you've spoken about the physical preparedness of it, but it is also a run walk, so what would you say to people that have an interest in participating?
Craig Matthias:We all have and again we're going back to the vision. We all have challenges in life. No one is exempt, and so what we present for you in Victory is a celebration right of whatever that is. So everyone is welcome, right, everyone is welcome, keisha, and it doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter your health aspirations, it doesn't matter what you've accomplished or what you haven't accomplished. It's about just participating and the effort. The effort is all we ask for. It's just to simply come out. The effort is all we ask for. It's just to simply come out. We will help you finish. That is guaranteed.
Craig Matthias:There's going to be someone in Victory, within the volunteer, within the community, within the community, even just regular folks out there who participate is going to help you. So do not feel judged. Do not feel like you have to be a runner. You don't, absolutely do not have to be a runner to participate in victory. Training is available.
Craig Matthias:We have outlets that, once we get started again on the marketing aspect, I know we're going to have an even greater job with this, with our marketing approach and how we reach and how we get the information out there to folks who may be on the fence.
Craig Matthias:We call it we want to get you off the fence and on the pavement. Like you can do this, like it's absolutely doable when we have an 83 year old guy comes out. 83 years old this guy told me he's run 39 marathons in his life like, just knowing that there's an 83 year old individual that actually came out and did 13, why he walked it, but he did it, and so it just speaks volumes for us in terms of like you don't necessarily have to be a runner, you can just come out and do this and be a part of something greater, greater than yourself, greater than the community. This is such a positively impactful event that it will change you. It will change the way you look at health. It will change the way you look at perseverance. It will change the way you look at perseverance. It will change the way you look at other people. It will just change the way you look at life in and of itself, and that's the impact that we hope to have for many.
Public Of the Caribbean :And is there also an open invitation to the Labor Day picnic after the event?
Craig Matthias:Absolutely so. That is the goal right. So, like, we want to make sure you not only come out and burn calories but you come out and put them back in, like we encourage that. You know, we encourage you to come out and have fun with us and meet us as people, not just as race supporters or race organizers, but just normal people on the beach having fun, having barbecue. We have everything from a healthy station to beef ribs or pork ribs. You know we got it all on the beach and we, you know we invite everybody that participate in the run that's still going to be around to come out on the beach and support us. That's at Megan's Bay Park, or better known as Lindquist Beach. It's where we really had that big celebration. That's the final piece of it, and so if you are able to come out, you're able to participate. Even if you're not, you're still invited to come out and have fun with us on the beach.
Public Of the Caribbean :You mentioned someone from New York, you mentioned Puerto Rico, you mentioned folks that are on the islands, actually from the Philippines. So tell us what, for those that may join, that are not on St Thomas, that hear about it and join in 2025 and in the years to come, what do you love best about the Virgin Islands and what are some must-see and do things in the Virgin Islands when you come out and join in for the Victory Run?
Craig Matthias:So one of the things that we're working on, we're going to do some work with the Department of Tourism and make it not just a run but really to feel the island vibe. Right to the culture, the food. You can't talk enough about the food outside of the run. You want to come in a couple days before, right, because you want to get the culture. You think you get the culture. You think the run is even going to be more fun, right? So culture is a big deal for us. You know the people here are warm. You know we got beaches within 15 minutes. No matter where you are, you can be on a beach in 15 minutes.
Craig Matthias:Restaurants, I can mention the food is just amazing, local or Mediterranean cuisine. We have them all. We're trying to work on different ways that we can make it more accessible in terms of, you know, amenities, hotels, rental cars accessible in terms of, you know, amenities, hotels, uh, rental cars we want to have those. We're going to have those relationships improved upon where we can really make it a destination run for you if you're coming in, um, understanding how the culture works and understanding what to expect from us, um, not just victory, but just from the island and the community and the people and the warmth of us and what we really provide for for visitors coming into the virgin islands of us and what we really provide for visitors coming into the Virgin Islands.
Public Of the Caribbean :So what's your favorite dish that you would recommend? What should you eat? What should you?
Craig Matthias:try. What's your favorite? That's a tough question, you know, kisa, because I'm a health freak. But then there's a culture side of me, right, there's a culture side of me where I have to be honest, brutally honest. So my favorite dish is fish and dumpling Like you have to have that. You know, if you ever heard about Usain Bolt, the goal is that he ate a lot of dumplings and sweet potatoes and just the ground food. Right, I talked about earlier where my grandfather was a farmer, so we lived off of the land, so that's in my blood fish and ground food. You got to have those and they're made in a variety of ways. I like the mayonnaise sauce oh, please don't repeat. I like the mayonnaise sauce with the fish and the dog bread. But that's my favorite dish and you have to have that. There are many places on the island you can get that, but it's calories and calories and then calories.
Public Of the Caribbean :You know what I mean but it's always nice, you know, to have some balance. So there is a little indulgent, but it's all about keeping, keeping things on track so you can have a little taste now and again. And certainly one of the things that I love is like the coconut dumplings. I know that now it like salt fish, salt fish and coconut dumplings, but anyway, that's one of the things, yeah, that I love. But tell us what is your life philosophy?
Craig Matthias:Okay, you know denzel washington once said. He said dreams without goals are just dreams. They ultimately fuel disappointment. And for me, stop dreaming. Right, we have to stop dreaming, because faith is by works and you can have desires, you can have dreams, you can have it all. Unless you start, it means nothing and you'll be forever in life trying to figure out how do I get to that next step.
Craig Matthias:Not too long ago, a couple weeks ago, I finally lived one of my dreams out. I went to europe. That was a lifetime desire, um, and. But the problem with that was that I was dreaming for 15 to 20 years. You know what I mean like. And it hit me like dreams without goals are just dreams. And so I had to wake up. I had to wake up and start dreaming.
Craig Matthias:So I said to any individual in life, every one of us have desires. Matthew 6.33 talks about the desires of our hearts. Right, and what does it mean to accomplish those? Your faith is number one. That's going to get you to your dream. That's going to get you to the goal for that dream.
Craig Matthias:And so for me, being a man of faith, I had to really swallow my own Kool-Aid in terms of like okay, craig, stop dreaming If you believe you can do this, go ahead and do it. Stop planning, don't worry about money in the bank, don't worry about the itinerary, just go. Just go ahead and do it. And for me, that's what I did in 20. I just did that in July, august. And so I would say to folks stop dreaming, right, stop desiring and go and live that. Go and live it because it's totally, totally, totally achievable. Where are you in your faith would be the number one question, because that is what's going to drive you. We are driven. Our faith is driven by our desires, and so if we desire to do something, a lot of us, no matter what it takes, we go ahead and do it. That is faith 101. Right? So if you desire to do something, your faith is going to be increased by that. So I say stop dreaming and just go by that. So I say, stop dreaming and just go.
Public Of the Caribbean :Stop dreaming and just go, and certainly I wonder if that's a part of why you are also a local businessman as well that with that desire of course, in terms of starting your own business.
Craig Matthias:So if you could just touch on that a bit, yeah, it's again. It's one of those things, things you know, you, we possess so many gifts in in life, um, and the problem with the gifts that we possess is our faith, right, um? Because everything is based on faith, no matter where you are in life, no matter what it is you decide to have based on your faith. And so for me, uh, when I, when I decided to do my own business, it was a faith walk, right, I was forced. I mean, I had desire. Again, this is me and my dreams and my desires. I desired for five years, before I actually went on my own, to be my own boss. But what pushed me out the door? What actually pushed me out the door?
Craig Matthias:It was a strike in the company, where I was forced to go out and try to figure out how to feed my family, how to feed my kids, and so once I was pushed out and I actually started to do it, then I realized, wow, this is possible. I can actually make a good wage and be my own boss. I just have to learn more and apply more. And so once I started doing that. Then my business began to thrive and I began to get more clients and we do technology, and so that's never ending. In a case of my business, it was about starting. It's about starting, knowing, understanding that listen, you're going to start. There's going to be challenges. There's going to be troubles finding a good accountant, finding a good technician. Challenges there's going to be troubles finding a good accountant, finding a good technician, finding a good vehicle, finding access to things. Those are all part of the journey but you have to stay focused.
Public Of the Caribbean :Certainly, and for persons that may have an interest in learning more about the Victory Run Walk in St Thomas, virgin Islands, tell us the website where they can go to find out information for this previous year and where they can look, of course, for the upcoming 2025.
Craig Matthias:Yeah, I mean we're on the World Wide Web, victoryrunwalkvicom VictoryRunWalk gicom. There you can get every single bit of information that you're looking for. We have a a frequently asked questions page. You can go in there and pop those in. We're monitoring the site, um, we also have our email address. It's victory run walk at gmailcom. You can send a lot of questions or concerns or feedback there if you will, um, but we have that's pretty much how we get to give, give that info or put information out there, or we even receive feedback so we can, you know, plan better or prepare better for you or anybody else that are interested in joining victory 2025 or beyond and any favorite caribbean sayings.
Craig Matthias:And any favorite Caribbean sayings? Wow, that's a tough question. There's so many of them. You know my grandfather always said to me. He said he said never measure Right. He says the future belongs to those that prepare for it today. The future belongs to those that prepare for it today. Preparation is everything in life, right, you're not just going to win something that doesn't happen. So preparation the future belongs to those that prepare for it today. I think also I started with Malcolm X somewhere in my readings but the future belongs to those that prepare for it today. The future belongs to those that prepare for it today.
Public Of the Caribbean :The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. So the don't measure. So just tell us about the meaning of that that is tied to that statement.
Craig Matthias:Yes, so I grew up like I said with my grandfather, and you know, back in the days, like I said to my grandfather, and you know, back in the days, you know, grandparents raised their kids for their children because, again, my mom was out working. You know she was working two jobs to make it single parent home. So my grandmother and grandfather took on that responsibility for me and my cousins. Different kids in the neighborhood, and a lot of times what they would do do will give us chores, right, and I would always complain about how much I had versus how much he had, and so I would never get anywhere because I was always complaining.
Craig Matthias:Um, and so what I realized is that while they were achieving something, because they were doing what they were told, I was measuring, and so I never got to that until I started to prepare. Prepare means you do what you're told and don't question it. Let's go ahead and do it. So my grandfather says do this, do it because what he's doing is preparing us for something greater. But I didn't know that because I was measuring right, and so that's the whole idea behind of that. And so once I stopped measuring, I realized, wow, I'm not even I'm getting. I more right. So because I'm not wasting time comparing, questioning, where they just go in and do it and then they have more than I have and I have more than they have. The whole measuring thing just went away.
Public Of the Caribbean :Awesome, what an awesome story. All right, so, craig Mathias, one of the founding pioneers behind Victory Run, walk Half Marathon and St Thomas, us Virgin Islands, thank you for being our guest on the Pulse of the Caribbean podcast.
Craig Matthias:Thank you, craig Matthias. Man of faith man of faith in the terms of a man seeking after the heart of God, and I believe that's foundational. A technologist, a man who's driven by technology, who's driven by challenges in life, because, again, it's levels, and so you know, being a technologist, being someone who's constantly trying to figure out things, it just keeps me sharp, it keeps me grounded. A father I've always desired to be a better father than I had, so that's driven me to be like people call me number one dad, but it's just about being better than I was taught to be and being driven by someone who simply didn't give me what I thought I needed in a father, so that drove me to be a dad, husband. I always desired to have a wife. God provided me with that, and so the goal is to always provide for my family, for my wife, for my wife and her family. Always be there in terms of support. That's the husband that I desire. Continue to desire to be A man of faith. Oh man, I'm always trying to lead someone to desire. Continue to desire to be A man of faith. Oh man, I'm always trying to lead someone to Christ, trying to find a better way out. There's always a better way out, but trusting and believing in God gives you that.
Craig Matthias:Craig, pulse of the Caribbean. Coach. Craig, this is primarily where I engage people Coaching. Coaching is life coaching, physical coaching, spiritual coaching, I mean. That's Craig Mathias 101. And if I could get in a room with someone, it's about creating change. I think change is inevitable for all of us. We just have to figure out how we're going to respond to it. So that's Craig Mathias 101. Craig Mathias, I am Pulse of the Caribbean.
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