daniel chigunwe
Abel Ndooka
ALL is set for this year’s 21km Tanganda Half Marathon which will be staged this weekend in Mutare.
A total of 1500 athletes from around the world are expected to grace this year’s edition of the race which serves as qualifiers of the world half marathon.
This year runners will battle in the 21km race, 10km and 5km fun run and the winner of the 21km race will qualify for the world half marathon set for later this year.
National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) president – Tendai Tagara – said the Tanganda half marathon is one of the most important races in the country as it determines the country’s representative at the world marathon.
“We are happy that one of our most important races in the country is back and it will be staged this weekend in Mutare.
“We are very hopeful that this year’s edition is bigger and better than last year as we have received positive news by the organizers that there has been a huge turn-out in terms of registration by a number of athletes both locally and some from the region.
“Every year we use the outcome of the Tanganda marathon to select the country’s representative at the world half marathon and this year’s edition of the world half marathon will be staged later this year,” he said.
The current holders of the Tanganda half marathon Moses Tarakinyu and Olivia Chitate are both expected to defend their crowns this coming weekend.
Tarakinyu has the won the previous two editions of the Tanganda half marathon whilst Chitate won the previous three women’s races.
Bongani Ndlovu