BAA vice president (technical), Glody Dube told Mmegi Sport that some of the marathons do not meet the International Association of Athletics Association (IAAF) standards, thus impact negatively on the image of the local association. He said the association has realised that some of the organisers have little or no information regarding marathon races.
“We have had incidents where individuals and organisations present a 10km race and ask for permission to host a marathon. But a marathon is a 42.2 km race whilst a half marathon is 21.1km. These people do not know what they are talking about,” he said. He said a marathon is not only about the distance, but the track as well. The former middle distance runner said the numerous marathon races have a negative impact on the athletes as they take place more often, thus leaving the athletes with minimum time to rest. “A marathon takes a lot from an athlete and an athlete’s body is not like a car where you can just service and put it onto the road the next day. Athletes need rest, but with these marathons taking place every now and then athletes have minimum rest, so we have to protect our athletes,” he said.
