UB marathon LOC target Kenyans
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday October 24, 2022 16:00
The LOC has already sent out invitations to Athletics Kenya to assist in facilitating the arrangement.
The UB marathon is slated for November 27 and according to the number of athletes that graced the activation over the weekend, the race looks set to be the most sought after event.
The numbers doubled compared to the first activation that was held a fortnight ago. The field provided for 10km and 21km runners depending on how each individual felt on Saturday morning.
The activation race started with a bang just before 6am, with hordes of runners exploding from the starting point at the UB stadium. It was such a densely populated field, with a flush of strong club runners from different clubs such as the BDF Athletics Club, Gaborone Striders and Fearless.
Isaac Makwala made an appearance striding to a 10km stretch.
LOC chairperson, Dr Tshepang Tshube told Sport Monitor that they are engaged with Kenyans. He said the names of the elite athletes from Kenya, price monies and sponsors would be revealed this week. Regarding the activation, Tshube said the numbers had doubled and there were indications that the marathon will be a success. “We are impressed with the numbers because we were planning for 400 but we have gone above that. We are realising that UB can reach to a lot of people and the reason for that is how UB was established as an institution. There is a strong philosophy behind it of community engagement and putting people together for a good course.
People who set up UB at the time may not have known that they are setting up for a marathon that we are doing today. They had good intention for education and stuff like that, but they laid a strong foundation for many other things including this marathon,” he said. Tshube said it is upon the LOC to ensure that they have their game together and meet expectations.
When asked about the different age groups that graced the event, Tshube pointed out that 10 years ago there were fewer fast food outlets than today. “People ate more at home than today, a lot of people eat a lot of fast food today and non communicable diseases are on the rise. Batswana are responding to that and they need to be active. Batswana are getting educated so a lot of people here understand the value of physical activity on their health. In terms of age category, the majority are 35 years, 45 years and we even had a runner aged over 70 years.
The outbreak of COVID-19 also brought that change in mindset,” he said.
The chairperson said they used the same route from the last event, with the only change being water points. He explained that in a normal marathon, the first water point is at 5km then followed by 3.5km but they realised from the first event that majority of the runners are recreational runners and at 2.5km they need water. Meanwhile, UB marathon activation partner, Kaylo Kealeboga Leruele of Fearless Fitness Club said the attendance is exactly what they expected. “We had runners from Gaborone Striders, Run With It, Untamed, BDF, Police and the running community who are doing this for fitness. It was also interesting to see some people challenging themselves by running longer distances. So now people must come forward and register for the main event,” Leruele said.