The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
LOBELS’ athlete Misheck Sithole won the inaugural Bulawayo Half Marathon, Nssa Run held yesterday as he atoned for coming second at the PPC Matopos 33-Miler half marathon race held earlier this month.
Sithole reached the finish line at Queens Sports Ground in one hour 06,15 minutes to claim the 21km men’s open title 12 milliseconds ahead of club mate Ebel Chibanda while Black Rhinos’ Moses Tarakunyu, who won PPC 21km race, came third in one hour 07,45 minutes.
The race saw the organisers being overwhelmed by a turnout of just over 900 athletes when they had expected just over 250 runners for the first Bulawayo Marathon and this resulted in a shortage of water for the runners. Olivia Chitate clinched the title in the women’s section crossing the finish line in one hour 23,11 minutes and Muchaneta Gwata, who took second place in the PPC Matopos 33-Miler, was second in one hour 25:42 seconds and Ethel Pangiso came in third in one 26,66 minutes.
Sithole and Chitate walked away $1 000 richer each while Gwata and Chibanda pocketed $600 each and Tarakinyu and Pangiso were awarded $500 each for their efforts.
Nssa marketing and communications executive, Tendai Mutseyekwa said they were motivated to sponsor the race as a way of encouraging a healthy lifestyle among Zimbabweans.
“As a social security body we believe in the importance of the well-being of employees and this can only be done through encouraging wellness and fitness at a personal level. We believe a healthy population is critical in supporting the Vision 2030 the country intends to achieve. Health and wellness should be part and parcel of everyday life and even beyond when one becomes a pensioner,” he said.
In the 21km wheelchair women’s section, Thandiwe Ndlovu was first in one hour 31:13 minutes while Margaret Bangajema took the second prize in one hour 38,57 minutes and Ratidzo Tomu was third in one hour 50,34 minutes.
In the male section, perennial winner, Elford Moyo took the gong in one hour 09,46 minutes and Samson Muroyiwa was second in one hour 14,37 minutes and Munyaradzi Katiyo was third in one hour 15,02 minutes.
