THE inaugural PPC Msasa Ultra-Marathon will take place on October 9 in Harare as the cement manufacturing company seeks to establish itself in the capital.
BY HENRY MHARA
The Comrades Marathon qualifying race offers athletes and their families the perfect opportunity to take a break from the country’s prevailing socio-economic hardships and partake in one of three different race categories.
The main 42,2km marathon and the 21,1km race are for professional athletes, while marathon novices are expected to join in on the spirit of the day at a more relaxed pace, in the 5km fun run/walk.
To spice up the event, runners will be competing for the $16 000 prize money, with the winners in the main races, in both male and female categories, set to pocket $1 000 each.
PPC managing director Kelibone Masiyane, speaking at a Press conference yesterday, said the event is not only targeted at seasoned athletes, but they are seeking to bring families, friends and communities together.
The company currently sponsors the annual PPC Matopos 33 Miler that is held in Bulawayo and was this year won by Peter Tumbare in the main race.
“We are looking at a probable number of 200 to 300 athletes for the main race. We expect to get more on the family side in the 5km race. Normally that has been our experience in our other race in Bulawayo, so there we are expecting about 500 participants. We are expecting the defending champion (Matopos) and other full time marathon runners and most have already shown interest. We have increased the prize money which will generate interest,” Masiyane said.
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He said the marathon will herald a significant step in PPC’s journey in the country where they are set to commission a new state-of-art cement plant in Msasa.
“Our commitment to grow and to contribute meaningfully to Zimbabweans, businesses and the economy will be upheld through the new Msasa plant, which has been built to world-class standards. The Msasa plant will feature bulk-handling and palletising technology, such as that which was introduced at the PPC Bulawayo factory, allowing uncompromised safety and efficiency,” Masiyane said.
“The Msasa plant will serve not only Zimbabwe, but neighbouring markets as well, investing in Zimbabwean people through employment, enterprise development and community support. Together, PPC’s Bulawayo and Msasa plants will have an annual capacity of 1,8 million tonnes of cement in Zimbabwe, and we are proud to continue to develop, to innovate our product and manufacturing operations and to cement our commitment to Zimbabwe’s future.”
Meanwhile, the Westgate Half Marathon, the country’s most lucrative race, with a purse of $3 000 for the winners in the male and female categories, is once again expected to draw a bumper field of athletes tomorrow.
The lucrative race, named after Old Mutual’s premier shopping mall located west of Harare, has grown since 2012 to become a flagship feature on the local athletics calendar.
Old Mutual, the sponsors of the race, confirmed that this year’s main prize is pegged at $3,000 and all the prizes from the different categories combined add up to a whooping $27,000.
This level of sponsorship has been welcomed by many people within the athletics fraternity as the prevailing economic hardships have seen many corporates either downscaling or completely withdrawing their sponsorship budgets.
The race has three categories, 5km, 10km and 21km. While the 21km is the main event that always attracts the big names of athletics in Zimbabwe, the 5km and 10km categories have also proven to be popular among both professional and non-professional athletes who are either driven by the desire to exercise and keep fit or are recuperating from injuries.
Old Mutual also confirmed that all the logistical arrangements will ensure that the race is held according to International Amateur Athletics Federation regulations.
