Red tape hinders BAA, Diacore marathon partnership
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday March 24, 2016 12:26
The marathon spokesperson, Thabo Makgato told a media briefing this week that they had tried to come up with ways of working together with BAA but government protocol is a challenge.
Makgato said they wanted the association to come up with a programme aimed at developing marathon runners across the country.
He said they had decided to focus on working with athletics clubs. Makgato said they have identified a certain club that they want to concentrate development on.
He said local runners are not doing well when it comes to marathons especially the 42.2km and 21km.
Meanwhile, the annual Diacore marathon will be held on April 3, starting at Grand Palm hotel.
The marathon, which is in its fifth edition, is expected to attract 6,000 runners from various countries. Makgato said the number is the same as last year.
He said Nedbank will be sending 12 runners from South Africa. He said the runners are expected to bring more pedigree and experience to the race.
“We have invited Kabelo Mabalane for the 10km marathon. We expect him to run a steady race so that he can interact with most runners. He is someone that most look up to when it comes to fitness,” he said.
Makgato said for the first time ever in Botswana, the marathon will be run online through a running app hosted by Codoon in China.
“The marathon is being run locally, runners from across the world will also be running with us through the innovative new platform.
This is a move that we believe will change the face of running both locally and internationally,” he said.
Makgato said they have partnered with Atv, Supersport feed supplier to shoot the race.
He said winners of the main race and 21km will undergo doping tests after the race. Makgato said the race is used as a qualifier for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) events. guage:AR-SA'>The second round of the qualification will be hosted in Gaborone on April 16. The country will send top four riders to the tourney. The event will attract riders from Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa.