The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
SPONSORS, Old Mutual have set aside $10 300 for this year’s rebranded Nkulumane Half Marathon, whose registration opened yesterday for the race scheduled for 3 June.
The annual race will this year include a half marathon for the first time with runners set to fork out registration fees for the event race unlike in previous races that had free entry. Other races include the 10km and 5km fun run.
Prizes will be doled out in 14 categories with the winners of the half marathon open race in both the male and female categories are set to walk away with $700 each while the second and third runners to cross the finish line will get $500 and $300 respectively. Fourth and fifth placed runners will take home $250 and $200.
In the male and female sections of the wheel chair half marathon race, prizes have been reserved for the top three with the athlete that emerges first getting $500; number two will receive $300 and the athlete that finishes third gets $200.
In the half marathon there are also rewards for the top two runners ($250 and $200) in the both the male and female categories of the veterans (40-49 years), masters (50-59 years) and grand masters (60 years and above).
Winners of the top three athletes in the 10km open race will walk away with $200, $100 and $50 in the male and female sections while in the 10km juniors, the top five athletes will get $100, $80, $60, $40 and $20.
Bulawayo Athletics Board chairman, Manuel Mpofu said the entry fee has been set at $5 for the three events athletes will take part in on 3 June, the 21km, 10km and 5km fun run.
Entry forms are available at Old Mutual offices in the city, at Nkulumane Complex, at Cabs Centre.
There are fears the introduction of registration fees could see a reduction in the number of athletes taking part in the race following last year’s record of 1300 athletes since the run was revived in 2014.
The high numbers were attributed to the free entry.
Mpofu was however optimistic numbers will remain the same as the $5 is the lowest fee that is being charged by other races.
He said they anticipate the running community will appreciate the addition of the 21km race has brought in changed circumstances.
The 21km runners will use the 10km route that begins at the Nkulumane Shopping Complex, turns left into Masiye Phambili Drive and right at Rangemore Road, then left towards Bullet Shops, turning right towards the Catholic Church where runners turn right.
Instead of turning right at the intersection of Khami Road and Intemba Road, athletes will go straight and turn left into Pumula South where they will make an about turn at Dumezweni Primary School and head back to the shopping mall using Khami Road. The 10km and 5km routes remain the same.
