Fifth Navachab half-marathon sees increase in prize monies

WINDHOEK, 11 SEP  – Athletes competing in the fifth edition of the Navachab half-marathon challenge will be better rewarded than before, the event organiser announced on Tuesday.
The half-marathon will take place in and around the rocky town of Karibib on Saturday.
Berthold Karumendu, regional sports officer in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service at a media conference here said the race continues to grow in popularity, and athletes should be rewarded well for competing in the event.
“This year, we have N.dollars 80 000 worth of sponsorship for the event and we want to attract a lot of athletes from Region Five and elsewhere, hence the increase of competitive prizes to motivate runners to compete in the event,” he said.
In the previous editions the winners of the half marathon in the male and female categories walked away with N.dollars 5 000 each, but that prize has now been increased to N.dollars 7 000.
Karumendu said the newly created five-kilometre fun run or walk will also see winners walking away with N.dollars 1 000, while school-going children will win N.dollars 300 to 500 in that event.
At last year’s event, the senior men’s race was dominated by South African runners who took the top three places, setting a new record along the way.
Joel Mmone from the North West Province came first in a time of one hour, three minutes and one second (1:03:01), while in the female category, Namibia’s Lavinia Haitope won the race in 1:14:01.
Navachab Gold Mine will again be the main sponsor, while other sponsors include First National Bank Namibia’s Karibib branch, the Karibib Town Council, Namagra, Desert Line Energy and Coca-Cola, which will contribute soft drinks to the event. – NAMPA