ZB half marathon comes to Bulawayo

ONE of the country’s leading financial institutions ZB Holdings is set to hold its inaugural half marathon event in Bulawayo later this month.

ZB had their inaugural half marathon in Harare last year and this time around they will have the event in the City of Kings and Queens on September 22.

It was revealed that the race, that will include 10km and 5km contests, will start and finish at the Bulawayo Athletics Club (BAC)

Registration fees are pegged at US$20. Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab) chairperson Watson Madanyika said they are excited to be afforded a chance to host a particular event.

“As Bab we are grateful to the sponsors of the event which gives our long distance athletes some competition. We are already placing all the mechanisms from our end to make sure the event is a success. We encourage people to register early for the event,” said Madanyika.

Meanwhile, preparations for the White City Stars Academy track and field championships set for October 16 are well on course.

Events on offer will be 100m, 110m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1 500m, 3 000m, 5 000m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, long jump, triple jump, high jump, javelin, shot put, and discus.

Entry fees are pegged at US$ 3 for the relays, US$2 for the seniors, and US$1 for the juniors. The previous editions of the competition have seen sponsorship from Zimbabwe’s former triple jump record holder Ndabazihle Mdhlongwa and Arnold Payne’s Africa Children’s Hope Foundation.

Mobile network operator Econet has also in the past chipped in with T-shirts and other accessories. The club held its first event in 2021 which attracted more than 100 competitors from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, and Matabeleland South.

In the last two years, athletes from around Zimbabwe have attended the competition which continues to grow. – @innocentskizoe.