Postby MG Man » January 9th, 2006, 8:53 am
I know its a lot, but worth the read.....
Mannie Dookie 1915-1968
MANNIE, THE MARVELOUS MILK BOY
People of the Century
By Michael Anthony
Part 1
Express
April 26, 2000
Pages 48 & 49
One of the unforgettable heroes of Trinidad athletics of our 20th century was the marvelous milk boy, Mannie Dookie.
In these days when Trinidad and Tobago's participation in international athletics is so common that no one wonders when it all began, it is good to repeat the story of Mannie Dookie - the boy who blazed the trail for other men to follow.
The story of Magnificent Mannie goes back to 1930, on the occasion when he left his milk-pail at home and took on renowned runners in a road race.
Mannie Dookie, who was born in St James and lived there, was only 15 at the time.
That race, coincidentally, was 15-1/2 miles around the Saddle Road - and the experienced runners who faced the starter must have been amused to see the frail, insignificant boy beside them.
But they later had the humiliating experience of seeing Mannie Dookie show them the way home. He completed the distance in one hour and 39 minutes, a fine mark at that juncture.
One of the peculiar things about Mannie Dookie, was that however rough the course, he never liked running in shoes. So competing barefoot in that 15-1/2 mile race around the Saddle Road, he became known as the barefoot runner.
But running without shoes was only a little distraction to Mannie Dookie's greatness. The amazing milk boy went to the Queen's Park Oval the next year, 1931, and at those grand Empire Day games, which came to be called "Championships," he lined up for the three-mile event.
To most people Mannie was going too far. While, it was amazing to see the frail youngster coming home in front of big, burly men in a 15-1/2 mile road race, how could he dare to go to the starting line, at "Championships" with Trinidad's renowned three-milers?
How could he survive at all in that company - especially with the champion Francis Dinzey?
On that day, May 24, 1931, the barefoot milk boy did not only survive, but running a sensational race, and spurred on by the thunderous applause of the crowd, he defeated Dinzey and the rest of the field to win in a time of 17 minutes 35 seconds.
In 1932 Dookie again held the attention of the sporting public when he beat all comers in a road race from St James Bridge to Teteron Bay. But it was in 1933 that he accomplished one of the greatest victories of his career.
Now known as a three-miler and a runner of road races, Dookie turned up at the Queen's Park Oval for 'Championships," and went straight to the one-mile starting point.
There, at the line-up, were the one-mile stars, two policemen: Alwyn Forde and Hypolite Sosa. At the sound of the pistol Dookie lunged ahead of the field, and yes, he was never to be caught.
Running the race of his life, he put distance between himself and both Sosa and Forde, winning the race in four minutes, 43 seconds.
And that very day, just to prove that he was still king of the three-mile event, he took part in that too, and crushed, not only Sosa and Forde, but also Francis Dinzey.
Part of his glory was that he could not have beaten them at a better point of time.
What was it that was so important and special about 1933? Well, it was the eve of the British Empire Games at White City in London, and all the athletes were trying to be at their best, hoping against hope that the Trinidad Amateur Athletic Association would send them to compete. Such a thing had never happened before.
Dookie maintained the spotlight in 1933, when, at the West Indies Olympiad held later that year in Georgetown, British Guiana, he again won the three-mile, this time setting a new West Indian record of 15 minutes 8.4 seconds.
He also won the mile, thus achieving a brilliant middle-distance double.
Dookie was now a sensation, not only in Trinidad, but also throughout the West Indies. And so at this time there rose the agonizing cry: "Who will send Mannie Dookie to the British Empire Games? Who will give Trinidad a chance to clash with the best of the British Empire's long distance men?"
While the plaintive cry in favour of Mannie Dookie rose all round, Mannie, between delivering milk, was minding his own business by training hard.
The year 1934 had already dawned, and when "Championships" came that May, the milk boy, now one-mile and three-mile champion, again defeated the cream of the island's three-milers, lowering the Trinidad three-mile record to 15 minutes 19 seconds, not far outside the standard of international games.
So the cry became even more strident: "Who will send Mannie Dookie to the British Empire Games?"
The games were to be held that August, and time was beginning to get short.
The Trinidad athletic authorities could not come up with an answer, maybe because of financial reasons. Could anything be done?
TOP
DOOKIE BLAZES A TRAIL FOR T&T
People of the Century
By Michael Anthony
Express
Section 2
May 3, 2000
Pages 22 & 23
This is Part II of the story “Mannie the marvelous milk boyâ€
i cant remember, was it ain a republic reader book? like the standard five one? i kinda wanna read it again now 
