Stage set for Orange Phikwe marathon
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday June 29, 2017 15:13
The sleeping copper mining town is expected to rise from its BCL closure-induced slumber to celebrate the race’s 32nd edition. The annual event, which started as a fun run, is now a qualifier for international competitions such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. The title sponsor of the race is Orange Botswana after injecting P600,000 last year in a three-year deal. The Local Organising Committee (LOC) spokesperson, Kennedy Dudzhayi told a press briefing yesterday that it was unfortunate athletes failed to qualify for the 2017 World Championships. He said registration is ongoing at various locations, including online.
“Our prize money remains the same from last year. We have decided to stretch prize money for the 42km, from position one up to 10. We see this as a motivation because this is a long race,” he said.
Orange Botswana corporate affairs director, Lepata Mafa-Nthumula said the marathon is a great platform to discover talent in long distance running. She said athletes can participate in international events by qualifying through the Orange Phikwe National Marathon.
“We can use the event to promote sport tourism. Cities around the world are fighting to host sporting events. They use such events to grow their economies. The marathon can be used to promote businesses in Selebi-Phikwe and the surrounding areas,” she said.
She added that the marathon can be packaged and used as a commercial vehicle to bring business to the town.
Mafa-Nthumula said there are some improvements to the marathon due to the feedback from last year’s event.
Meanwhile, Kabelo Kwape from Pro Time, a company that will be in charge of timing during the marathon, told Mmegi Sport that the company has vast experience in timing both marathon and bicycle races. He said their core-area is timing bicycle races.
“The first marathon we timed was in Francistown last year and we also did other two races. We enjoy technical support from a South African-based company. We are confident that we are going to provide the Orange National Phikwe Marathon accuracy that is needed,” he said.
Kwape said their system is accurate and can time under different weather conditions. He said they will be able to provide results immediately when the last runner crosses the line.
Prize money breakdown: (1) P25,000; (2) P15,000; (3) P10,000; (4) P7,500; (5) P5,000. Position six to 10 get a consolation prize of P1,000 each.
Registration fees: 42km (P200), 15km (P150), 10km (P100) and 4km (P75).