adminLovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
ABEL Manyumeka, the Matabeleland North Athletics Board chairman, has promised an Econet Victoria Falls Marathon to remember on June 29. His province will play host to its biggest athletics event of the year after primary and secondary school meetings held last term. Because of poor sponsorship and appreciation of marketing opportunities presented by sport, athletics has been one of the most affected disciplines. Manyumeka is confident that come June 29, Matabeleland North will rise to the occasion and run a good competition.
He said they were happy as a board that Econet and their partners had kept faith in them being worthy hosts of an event that is promoting tourism and sport in the country. “Obviously as a board we are happy that we have been retained as partners by the sponsors for our big event. We have personnel capable of running an incident free competition who have been trained over the years and adequately exposed.
“Our training programmes have seen us visit some of the districts in the province to train coaches and event managers,” said Manyumeka.
Nkosiyazi Sibanda won last year’s men’s event.
He is once again expected to lead a strong field of runners who are preparing for a number of competitions in South Africa which include the City to City Marathon and the Soweto Marathon.
Those who took part in the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons in the last three months may miss the event as they try to recover. But that is not expected to rob the race of quality. Runners like Michael Ngaaseke, veteran Patrick Chipoyi, Phathisa Ngwabi, Thabitha Tsatsa, Samukeliso Moyo, Sharon Tawengwa, Constance Nyasango, Faith Nyasango, Cuthbert Nyasango who holds the national marathon record and Margaret Mahohoma, are some of the runners expected to take part in the event. Last year’s competition attracted athletes from all over the world with over 25 countries represented.
Econet were partnered by companies from Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe in sponsoring the event.
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