Sundaymail Editor
Don Makanyanga
More than 1000 professional and casual runners are expected to converge at the St Giles complex club for the second edition of the St Giles Cerebral Palsy half-marathon.
The marathon which will be held on March 15 in the capital seeks to raise funds for the Pediatric ward at the health institution.
Event coordinator and organiser Kudzai Musabvunda Pasipanodya revealed that after an inaugural marathon last year, this year’s event has received a huge response with more than 100 athletes registering to participate.
“We have had a huge response to this year’s edition of the St Giles Cerebral Palsy marathon.
“The marathon has had a massive response with more than 1000 participants registering for this year’s edition compared to last where we had 300 athletes,” said Pasipanodya.
He added that the participants have been drawn from both professional and casual runners, with the professional runners taking the half-marathon as a way of preparation for upcoming international marathons while for the casual runners, it is about promoting a healthy lifestyle in the country.
“We have professional runners that have registered and are taking the race seriously as it is a platform for preparations for upcoming marathons and we also have casual runners coming in as part of our call to a healthy lifestyle,” said Pasipanodya.
Pasipanodya revealed that the marathon seeks to help fundraise funds to ensure that there is better treatment for cerebral palsy patients.
“The treatments for such kids (cerebral palsy) are not cheap, it’s a bit expensive. So we need to support them by raising funds.
We need to support them with the equipment that they need, so that they’re also able to access better treatment and also just support in reaching out to parents or caregivers who have children with cerebral palsy, hence we are doing our part through a marathon,” said Pasipanodya.
Cerebral Palsy is a disorder that is caused by damage to the brain.
It usually affects children who are below five years old.
Online Reporter