Back in 1988, an 18-year-old from La Ressource, Vieux Fort, made history as Saint Lucia’s first-ever CARIFTA gold medallist. In Kingston, Jamaica, Bernard Fox Henry blazed through the Under-20 men’s 1500 metres in 4:00.19, outpacing Jamaica’s Mark Jones and Eaton Evans.
Though often overlooked in the 800m, his time of 1:50.39 also earned him bronze and a national junior record that still stands today as the oldest on the books.
Last weekend, Fox returned to compete on home soil for the first time since 1993. Racing in the John Pompey 1500m at the fourth annual Makeba Alcide Classic, he clocked 4:47.32, finishing a respectable seventh as the field’s most seasoned competitor by far.
Now prepping for July’s USA Track & Field Masters Championships, Henry had targeted a time between 4:50 and 4:55. His training included a 5:30 mile time trial on April 19, and he’s now eyeing a sub-five-minute mile within the next eight weeks.
Fox only laced up his running shoes again less than a decade ago, having stepped away in the ’90s due to a lack of support. He’s thrilled to see the renewed energy around sports, especially track and field, in Saint Lucia. His return sparked plenty of nostalgia, not least because he raced in the same vest he wore at the 1988 CARIFTA Games (and later at the M&C Games, then the island’s premier meet).
“I graduated from Southern Illinois University and went straight to work. I didn’t run for about 25 years, not seriously, anyway,” he recalled. “I’d maybe do a 5K or a corporate challenge every other year. But when my kid started running cross country, my wife said, ‘Your father used to run!’ Back then, all my trophies were tucked away in the basement. And then I started running with them. One particular morning [10 years ago], I accompanied her, and I saw how well I felt. So, I started running again.”
Today, the iconic athlete and mechanical engineer balances a thriving career in Aurora, Illinois, about 40 minutes from downtown, with raising six kids. His eldest is finishing a second degree, and graduations (college and high school) keep the family busy.
It’s a far cry from his childhood in Vieux Fort, where his home had no electricity or running water. Chores like hauling water from neighbours or the river filled his afternoons before training. For young Fox, the appeal of running was its simplicity and solitude.
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In his own words: How Henry Discovered Running and Chased Gold
“I always liked running. You need very little equipment, and back then, you could run barefoot. And you can do it alone, you don’t need anyone to accompany you; where you want to go, you go. And so I liked that. In 1985 [at 15], I started really going to meets because we had organised secondary school meets where we would go to Castries and run at Mindoo Phillip Park. So that was a taste back then.
“The following year, 1986, I made my first CARIFTA team to Guadeloupe. From there, I met Andrew Magloire and Fortuna Belrose, who were working for the ministry at that time. These two people thought I could be Saint Lucia’s first CARIFTA gold medal winner.
“When I went to Guadeloupe, I think I ran like 2:03-something. Back then I was just running hard, and if I was better than you, then I win. Or if you try and do what I do, then I win. From that first trip, I saw the opportunity of being able to travel, and then the idea of scholarships, representing Saint Lucia, and being able to go abroad. I went back home, and then that summer I went to the junior world championships.
“When I came back, I started recording my workouts, keeping a log, and then make my own programmes. I would write what I want to do, and I would just go and do it. And I was not a coach, I was just running. Most of it was interval sessions. So I just ran hard all the time, and I sometimes do some distance.
“On mornings, I would run 25 minutes before school. And then I would do some situps in the evening. I would come from school maybe around 3 p.m. I would walk home in La Ressource from what is now Campus B down to the bridge where I lived. Have something to eat, do some homework and sometimes do some chores. Chores would include maybe carrying water, from the neighbour or by the road, for when my mom comes home to prepare the meals, or if we have to take a wash-up sometimes we could go in the river.”
By 1988, Fox was training with Andrew Magloire and a group including Maxwell Seals, Anna Cherry and others. He was also cramming for CXCs, studying by candlelight or street lamps while squeezing in workouts.
Despite what he calls “messy” preparation, he delivered Saint Lucia’s best CARIFTA performance to date: fourth in the 5000m, bronze in the 800m, and that unforgettable 1500m gold.
“The first two laps, I kept waiting for the Jamaicans. Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and even Bahamas, those countries were always up there, winning. They had big teams, sometimes bringing athletes from overseas. I was expecting more of a challenge,” he reminisced. “And for some reason, they were not showing up. And then the longer I did not hear or feel them, the happier I started feeling. And I pushed and I realised, I’m going to win!”
Scholarship offers flooded in – Harvard, Seton Hall, Idaho. After a gap year, Fox chose Southern Illinois. Even then, he imagined returning home to work in government, teach, or join the copra factory. At SIU, his coach was a former Masters athlete, and his teammates included others from the Caribbean. He was content.
By 1993, he’d raced at the M&C Games and explored job prospects back home. But opportunities locally for his engineering degree were scarce. “Everyone kept steering me toward coaching,” he said. “If I’d wanted to coach, I wouldn’t have studied engineering. Even now, people ask me to coach.”
Fox returned to the US, becoming a graduate assistant while earning a second degree. The stipend left no room for competitions. He was better off than he had been as a boy in La Ressource but was nowhere near where he wanted to be.
One regret? Missing Saint Lucia’s Olympic debut in 1996. At 26, he’d have been in his prime, but finances forced him to pause training.
He’d dreamed of racing in Saint Lucia since returning to the sport a decade ago. Last weekend, he finally did, deciding almost last minute. The reception, he says, was overwhelming – even younger athletes knew his name and legacy.
Now ranked top 35 in World Masters Athletics and top three in the US, Fox still hopes to represent Saint Lucia again. But first, the national federation must affiliate with World Masters. For now, he runs for the joy of it, deaf to the crowd’s roar. Athletics gave him a life he never imagined. And he just wants to keep pushing.
