Zim runners raring to go

Ellina Mhlanga

Zimpapers Sports Hub

Long-distance runner Tendai Zimuto will this morning take on some of the world’s top marathoners at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands.

Zimuto arrived in the Netherlands last week ahead of today’s race and declared his desire to chase down the qualifying time for next year’s World Championships.

The qualifying standard for men is 2 hours 6 minutes 30 seconds. He has been training under the guidance of seasoned coach Benson Chauke, who said while Zimuto was going for the qualifying time, it was also a learning curve for the long-distance runner.

“This would probably be his fifth marathon, so there is still a lot to learn. He will go in and give his best. If his best gives us the results that the nation wants, then that is well and good,” said Chauke.

“Even if he does not give us what we expect, it’s not the end of the road. We will always come back and regroup, and refocus, restrategise and then we go again.”

The deadline for the qualification window is May 4, 2025, which means there is still plenty of time for Zimuto and other Zimbabwean runners hoping to make the grade for the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships. The global event is slated for September 13 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan.

With the entry standards continuously improving, Chauke admitted it is not going to be an easy task, but remains positive considering the notable progress made by Zimuto over the last couple of years.

“There is a quality field there, quite a handful of people that are running 2:03, 2:04. It’s a quality field. It’s not like he is the top runner there; he is not. He is going out there and he will carry the Zimbabwean flag,” said Chauke.

Zimuto’s first major race was the Enschede Marathon in April.

Also in action this morning is the duo of Moses Tarakinyu and Blessing Waison, who are in South Africa for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

While Tarakinyu is looking at earning experience as he graduates from half marathon and 10km races, Waison is aiming to improve his time from last year when he clocked 2 hours 12 minutes 49 seconds at the same race and post a personal best.

It is also a platform to asses their fitness as the ultimate goal is to go for another race and try to run the qualifying time for the World Championships.

Waison’s coach at Cadence Athletics Club, Alden Muhoni, said he was ready to go.

“In terms of competition, we hear there will be a lot of participants from Kenya, Ethiopia, the best athletes there,” he said.

“And we always welcome them because they always make the race more competitive, run on time, run good times.

“It’s good for him as well, competing with the best and try to deliver what’s expected. “We will see how the race goes, but he is good to go.

“What we just want is to make sure he runs a PB (Personal Best), we are not really giving him a lot of pressure. He just has to try his best and run a good PB.”