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Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER middle and long-distance runner Letiwe Marakurwa-Patton has launched a book focusing on her running life and hopes to inspire people from different backgrounds.
The book titled Running To America: An Athlete’s Journey From Zimbabwe was launched at the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee offices in Harare.
It was published in August this year.
“So the reason I am here today is because I decided to write a book about my running life. So it’s my life which is also considered my personal life.
“So in the book that I have written you are going to know a lot about me growing up in Zimbabwe and going to school in rural Dorowa and when I discovered the talent of running and what it did to my, family’s life, all the peers around me like the Dorowa Running Club coached by the late Mr (Michael) Chikoto, that I miss dearly.
“The reason I wrote this book was because I wanted to inspire not only athletes, not only female athletes but everybody.
“It could be immigrants coming from other countries to live in a different country and I was targeting mostly female athletes because I think that’s where we have the biggest weakness, in supporting female athletes in sport,” she said.
The United States-based Marakurwa-Patton made a name for herself as a junior athlete in the 1990s which earned her a scholarship to go to the United States.
And would want to see more upcoming athletes getting the opportunity to pursue their dreams.
“So I wrote this memoir focusing on just running, how I became one of the most promising athletes in Zimbabwe that I got granted that Olympic training scholarship to go to the United States in 1997.
“Unfortunately I didn’t make the Olympic qualifying standard while I was there but that was not the end of the road.
“So I continued with my dream of living the American life, getting my education, and also still of course communicating with everybody out here.”
She had always wanted to have the launch back home where the journey started.
“It’s special, Zimbabwe is right in my heart, and that’s where my roots are and I respected that part because without being from Zimbabwe I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to go to the United States.
“So this is where everything began,” she said.
National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president Tendayi Tagara said they are proud to have one of their athletes launching a book to tell her story.
“We are happy as an association that Letiwe Marakurwa our former 5 000m and 10 000m runner who was one of the earliest athletes to get a scholarship to study in America has come back home to launch her book about her journey to America.
“We are really happy that as an association our athletes are making an effort to enlighten other athletes, and juniors about the challenges and beauties of going out of the country.
“She came home to inspire juniors, especially female athletes.
“We are also happy again as an association she decided to come home to launch her book. This means she has come home to inspire other athletes to say the journey is tough but there is nothing impossible,” said Tagara.
Also in attendance were former NAAZ president Joseph Mungwari and his wife Hellen.
The former NAAZ president described Marakurwa-Patton as someone focused and determined to achieve her goals.
The launch was also attended by some of her family members, athletes, Harare Athletics Board chairperson Cousinet Simunyu, and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive Marlene Gadzirayi among others.
Online Reporter