Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S marathon record holder, Isaac Mpofu has been named competition ambassador for the Binga Kasambabezi Marathon set for Saturday, October 29 in Binga.
The 34-year-old long distance runner, who shattered Zimbabwe’s eight-year-old record with a stellar performance at the World Athletics Championships in the United States of America to finish in the top 10 of the men’s marathon in July, headlines the list of top athletes for the Binga meet.
At least 700 athletes have registered for the competition that seeks to market Binga as a tourist destination.
“Isaac Mpofu, a son of Binga has been named as the competition ambassador and we hope to use his influence to draw more long distance runners for the event. We’ve got just above 700 people who have registered but we have only 13 of those signing up for the full marathon. Most of the participants will compete in the half marathon, 10km and 5km competitions.
“So, with Mpofu coming on board, we are hopeful that we can use his influence to have more entries for the 42km event by Wednesday deadline,” said Recent Ncube, a member of the local organising committee.
Hailing from Tinde, Binga, Mpofu almost lost out at competing at the global premier athletics event in Eugene, Oregon due to a technical glitch at an event in South Africa, came 10th in a time of 2 hours 7 minutes 57 seconds to beat the previous national record that stood at 2 hours 9 minutes 52 seconds, set by Cuthbert Nyasango in 2014.
Registration fees for the 42km marathon are set at US$10, while those interested in participating in the half-marathon will pay US$7. Registration to compete in the 10km race is US$5 and the 5km fun run has been set at US$2. — @ZililoR
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter