Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE 11the edition of the Old Mutual Half Marathon has come and gone, as re-elected National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president, Tendayi Tagara, praised the strenuous mountain run as one of the elite races in the country with capacity to attract athletes from different countries in the region.
The former Mutare Polytechnic lecturer and long-serving NAAZ leader, Tagara, who was re-elected to lead the athletics body during elections held in Gweru last Saturday, attended Sunday’s annual long distance race in Vumba where athletes from Kenya, Botswana and Mozambique were part of the field of more than 1 000 athletes who competed in different categories.
Black Rhinos long distance runner, Moses Tarakinyu, and his female counterpart, Fortunate Chidzivo were this year’s Old Mutual Vumba Half Marathon winners.
Tarakinyu completed the 21km race in one hour, nine minutes, and 15 seconds.
In winning the 2024 edition of the race, battle hardened Tarakinyu also broke his own record, set back then in 2022.
In second position was Kenyan, Isaac Langcet, who crossed the finishing line in one hour nine minutes, 52 seconds, while last year’s winner, Blessing Waison settled for third position after crossing the finishing line in one hour, 11 minutes, and 36 seconds. In the ladies’ category, Chidziva romped home in one hour, 26 minutes and 23 seconds to win the tightly contested 21km race, while Caroline Mhandu came second after finishing the race in one hour, 29 minutes, and 27 seconds. Phillipa Dube was third after completing the race in one hour, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds.
Tagara said: “In the next four years, we are looking forward to the growth of the organisation. We need to retain all our sponsors. For example, Old Mutual Vumba Half Marathon is one of the elite races that we want to keep on our calendar for a long time to come.
“In fact, Old Mutual is one of our major partners among many others that we want to keep on board. The success of this race is evident with the quality of athletes it now attracts. We now have athletes from Mozambique, Kenya and Botswana.”
In his prize presentation speech, Old Mutual Group Chief Customer Experience and Operating Officer, Isiah Mashinya, said: “Congratulations to each and every one of the participants of this event. Your energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to health and wellness are truly inspiring. It is uplifting to see how the Vumba Half Marathon is becoming a meeting point for runners from diverse backgrounds. The Vumba Half Marathon’s significance goes beyond just being a race, as it embodies our brand, promises to unify our communities and create a better future for all.”
Tagara also spoke glowingly on the success of athletics in Zimbabwe.
“We are very happy as NAAZ that we have just come out of an election where we reflected on the success of the past two years. In the history of this country, we have never had two athletes qualifying to the Olympics finals on their first attempt.
“Zimbabwe was one of the only two countries, out of the 214 countries athletics participating nations, with athletes in the 200m race finals. We are happy that Zimbabwe and the USA were the only countries with two athletes in the finals. That was a great achievement for us,” he said. Tagara said they are forging ahead fostering international partnerships to enhance professional training and development of local athletes.
“Two days ago, we had a partner from the Netherlands, based in Masai, who showed interest to have some of our athletes undergo training at a High Performance Centre for middle and long distance in that country. We have already agreed and signed a Memorandum of Agreement.
“We have also made agreements with big marketing entities to market our brand and athletes. We have also agreed with former athletes based in the United States of America to sponsor track competitions in the country.
“So at White City Stadium, we will have three new competitions that will be sponsored by our former athletes based in USA. That spirit of having former athletes coming back to invest in the growth of the association is commendable,” he said.
The NAAZ leader said accountability is at the centre of their administration.
“My philosophy remains that in the four years, we do not handle any cent from the partners. The partners handle their funds. In fact, the federation provides the technical assistance for handling competitions, and that has allowed us to maintain a healthy relationship with partners,” he said.
