After falling off course while on her weight-loss journey during the COVID-19 pandemic, Caymanian Alexandra Ebanks is hoping to get back on track to living the life she once felt proud of.
Prior to 2020, Ebanks had lost north of 60 pounds – part of her ambition to get fit and healthy. She credited the 2016 edition of the then-Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon in helping kick-start her progression.
“I did the half-marathon in 2016,” she told the Cayman Compass. “It was my first to begin my weight-loss journey.”
Ebanks repeated the race in 2017, and has taken part in every marathon since. But that year, she had dropped to her lowest weight of 152 lbs.
However, like many others, she fell back into her old habits during the pandemic, ultimately reversing everything she had worked so hard to achieve.
“I was pushing 200 pounds before the lockdown,” she said. “I’m unfortunately back to where I started because of COVID and everything else in my life.
“Looking back to what I was doing, my drive to always be as good as I can be; I always want to kick myself.”
Despite being in the middle of a pandemic in 2020, the marathon that year went ahead, and so did Ebanks.
In fact, she would go on to participate in the 2021 edition of the marathon, but according to Ebanks, the challenges she experienced in 2020 continued into the next year.
And with the world seemingly back to normal, Ebanks is looking to take advantage of the resources once again available to help her get back to where she once was, starting with the marathon this Sunday, 4 Dec.
“I was limited in my participation in sports,” she said. “I want to change the perspective of my life… continuing with that same kind of mindset as much as possible,” adding that the “mental aspect of it is really difficult”.
Noting that psychological well-being is also essential, Ebanks encouraged anyone going through similar experiences to put their health first.
“I think it’s extremely important not just from a weight perspective,” she said. “It’s knowing you’re not healthy as you could be and striving to change that. For me it was exercise, but they can help themselves in any healthy way they see fit. Just thinking in a positive way that you can and once you do that, your mental game will start to change completely.”
She will walk in the Cayman Islands Walkers half-marathon this Sunday. She said finishing the race is the first of many goals on her path to reclaim the Alexandra Ebanks of 2016 and 2017.
“I need to push myself,” she said. “After everything that happened over the last two years, just knowing I can finish is a huge accomplishment. I hope this helps me get to where I was and feeling better.”
- The Compass ‘Why we run’ series aims to celebrate the personal stories of those who compete in the Cayman Islands Marathon. If you have an interesting or inspiring story about the race, email us at [email protected].
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