adminRicky Zililo Sports Reporter
HAVING had an eventful 2013 athletics season, the Bulawayo Athletics Board is looking forward to a lively 2014 after wrapping up a number of sponsorship deals for the coming season. The 2013 athletics season saw Bab involved in the revival of the Matopos 33 Miler Ultra-Marathon in April as well as new events on the calendar that is the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Half-Marathon and the Masiyephambili Marathon.
Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) Zimbabwe funded the 2013 edition of the Matopos 33 Miler Ultra-Marathon which in the past was being used as a preparatory race for the Comrades Marathon while the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Trust was behind the September 29 competition.
A group of companies came together to bankroll Bulawayo’s first marathon in over 20 years, the inaugural Masiyephambili Marathon which ran under the theme “Our City, our Marathon” and was part of festivities to celebrate 70 years since Bulawayo was granted city status.
Manuel Mpofu, the Bab chairman was happy with the progress they made in 2013 and said they are in the process of negotiating for better deals.
“This has been a great year for athletics in Bulawayo as we had a lot of activities. We managed to have two new competitions on our calendar – that is the Masiyephambili Marathon and the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Half-Marathon. We managed to revive the Matopos 33 Miler which was last held in the 1990s.
“The good thing is that all the sponsors that we had for our 2013 events have agreed in principle to fund the races next year and we are negotiating for some incentives for Bulawayo-based athletes so that we promote local runners,” said Mpofu.
There were concerns raised by some seasoned athletics officials who felt that Bulawayo athletes were not benefitting from the events held in the city and called for prizes to be set aside for local runners like what is happening elsewhere in the world.
“It is good that we are having lots of events in Bulawayo but more needs to be done to make sure that local athletes benefit from these races.
“If you look at international races, there is a prize for the first local athlete as a way of encouraging local participation.
“That concept should also apply here because most of the times it is out-of-Bulawayo athletes who win everything,” said James Rugovera, Mpopoma Athletics Club director.
Athletes from outside Bulawayo dominated all events held in the City of Kings with veteran road runner Michael Ngaaseke winning the Matopos 33 Miler Ultra-Marathon in three hours four minutes 42 seconds. His time fell way behind the 1984 record of three hours three minutes 18 seconds which was set by Tommy Lazarus.
Matabeleland South long distance runner Nkosiyazi Sibanda won the inaugural Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Half-Marathon in a time of one hour five minutes 42 seconds with the Zimbabwe National Army’s Andrew Chimbidzikai winning the tightly contested Masiyephambili Marathon after clocking two hours 15 minutes 32 seconds.
Wirimai Juwawo won the Nkulumane Old Mutual 10km Road Race with Kelvin Pangiso coming first in last Sunday’s Nkulumane Choppies 10km road race.
Mpofu said they have been assured by the Belmont Rotary Club that the Hope Fountain 30km road race will be back next year.
“This year the organisers were unable to get funds for the race but next year it will be there. The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Half-Marathon will be held in July, the month the late Vice-President Nkomo died,” said Mpofu.
The 2014 season starts on January 11, 2014 with the National Cross-Country set for Harare with Bulawayo’s first event being the Bab Cross-Country to be held at Nketa Drive Park in Mpopoma on January 19.
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