UB MARATHON SET TO THRILL RUNNERS
The highly-anticipated second edition of the University of Botswana Marathon, dubbed ‘Run for a Purpose’, is set to take place on September 24, 2023.
The starting and finishing point will be the UB campus. Marathon enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the event. The UB Marathon was created to promote sports development, health, and wellness in Botswana.
This edition of the UB Marathon has set a target of over 3,000 runners. Already over 1,900 participants have registered and are excited to take part on Sunday. Held in 2022, the first edition attracted international athletes and over 800 of the 1,000 registered participants turned up for the event.
The UB Marathon has secured major sponsors, with Standard Chartered Bank being the platinum sponsor, contributing P800, 000 towards the main race. Other sponsors include Blue Crystals, Khoemacue, Pepsi, FMRE, Mascom, Wimpy, Blue Crystals, Bifm, Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture who are supporting the event.
These sponsorships show the growing success of the UB Marathon, and its importance in the local and international running community.
UB Marathon2023 Chairperson Nelson Bodilenyane lists among the objectives of this marathon fighting Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) as well as encouraging healthy lifestyles.
Consequently, as a premier institution of higher learning with expertise across disciplines, the university will, during the build-up to the main event, impart knowledge to members of society on issues of sport, health, and wellness.
“The marathon proceeds go towards the institution’s scholarship endowment fund to sponsor graduate students at UB. In addition, the marathon presents the university with an opportunity to showcase the beauty of Gaborone by taking runners along routes with iconic landmarks and historical sites,” Bodilenyane noted.
What makes their marathon unique is that it is inclusive of People Living with Disability and that its proceeds go towards educating Botswana’s postgraduates. They plant back to the national human resource capacity and they also educate the nation about healthy living.
“Participants can look forward to some fantastic prizes, and our special guests will include the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, executives from UB, the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, and other distinguished guests. The event will be fun-filled, and our routes are safe, with refreshments provided to all participants,” he said.
“Every participant will also receive a goodie bag and entertainment and stalls will be set to educate participants about Healthy Living. Health Tests will be done by UB High Performance Centre. I encourage participants to go and tests to know their health status,” he added.
Start times for the different categories, 42km: 0530hrs 21km: 0540hrs 10km: 0550hrs 5km: 0605hrs 42.2km. Participants are advised to run in the direction of traffic and not against it. Participant parking will be available within the UB premises at 0430hrs, the UB circle to UB stadium road will be closed. From 0430hrs, the stadium can only be accessed through the Nanogang gate only.
“The University requests for everyone’s support towards the success of this event. Sponsorship categories available are Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Partner. In addition, stalls and water points are available for purchase with prices ranging from P2000.00 to P15 000.00. You are encouraged to register runners across events (42km, 21km, 10km & 5km fun run),” Bodilenyane stated.