All set for Rössing national marathon
The long-standing record of two hours, 11 minutes and 23 seconds is up for the taking at the Rössing national marathon championship at Swakopmund tomorrow, said Kaino Nghitongo from Rössing Uranium Mine.
The 42km record was set by retired marathon runner Luketz Swartbooi in 1992, and no one has come close to beating it since.
Nghitongo said whoever manages to beat the record will receive a special prize for the race, which by Wednesday had close to 700 entries. Nghitongo said this number will increase due to late entries taking place today at the Pro-Ed Academy Sports Field from 18:00 to 20:00, with a N$50 penalty fee.
She however added that they are happy with the entry number for this year as it has increased from last year's 600. “We are hoping that the number will increase, especially in the 10km race, as it is the most popular.”
Other competitions to look forward to are the Frank Slabbert half-marathon (21km), the uranium relay (10km), which is only for invited participants from uranium mines, and a 5km fun walk in aid of the Cancer Association of Namibia.
“The fun walk has also become popular and we expect close to 300 participants. We encourage people to come through. The weather is always unpredictable at the coast, but we do this for the love of fitness. Regardless of the weather, we hope people will come in numbers as we are doing it for charity,” Nghitongo added.
The organisers are hoping to see the likes of Helaria Johannes, Beata Naigambo and Kefas Kondjashili tomorrow morning and for a Namibian to take the top spot as Zambian national Mathews Mutanya has won the race for the past two years.
The warm-up session will start at 06:30, while both the marathon and the half-marathon start at 07:00. The 10km run and the uranium relay kick off at 07:30, while the 5km fun walk gets off to a leisurely 09:00 start.
Cut-off times
The half-marathon will cut off at 10:00, with the cut-off time of the main marathon at 12:00. The 10km run and the uranium relay will cut off at 09:30.
Prize-giving ceremonies
Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the 10km run, the uranium relay and the fun walk at 10:00, while the prize-giving for the marathon and half-marathon will take place at 12:30.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
The 42km record was set by retired marathon runner Luketz Swartbooi in 1992, and no one has come close to beating it since.
Nghitongo said whoever manages to beat the record will receive a special prize for the race, which by Wednesday had close to 700 entries. Nghitongo said this number will increase due to late entries taking place today at the Pro-Ed Academy Sports Field from 18:00 to 20:00, with a N$50 penalty fee.
She however added that they are happy with the entry number for this year as it has increased from last year's 600. “We are hoping that the number will increase, especially in the 10km race, as it is the most popular.”
Other competitions to look forward to are the Frank Slabbert half-marathon (21km), the uranium relay (10km), which is only for invited participants from uranium mines, and a 5km fun walk in aid of the Cancer Association of Namibia.
“The fun walk has also become popular and we expect close to 300 participants. We encourage people to come through. The weather is always unpredictable at the coast, but we do this for the love of fitness. Regardless of the weather, we hope people will come in numbers as we are doing it for charity,” Nghitongo added.
The organisers are hoping to see the likes of Helaria Johannes, Beata Naigambo and Kefas Kondjashili tomorrow morning and for a Namibian to take the top spot as Zambian national Mathews Mutanya has won the race for the past two years.
The warm-up session will start at 06:30, while both the marathon and the half-marathon start at 07:00. The 10km run and the uranium relay kick off at 07:30, while the 5km fun walk gets off to a leisurely 09:00 start.
Cut-off times
The half-marathon will cut off at 10:00, with the cut-off time of the main marathon at 12:00. The 10km run and the uranium relay will cut off at 09:30.
Prize-giving ceremonies
Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the 10km run, the uranium relay and the fun walk at 10:00, while the prize-giving for the marathon and half-marathon will take place at 12:30.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
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