Last seen on the roads of Ghetto seven years ago, Botswana Telecommunications Corporations (BTC) will resurrect their Marathon in the second city.
The unexpected move was confirmed at a Press Conference at Cresta Marang on Tuesday morning, with the parastatal revealing the BTC Francistown Marathon will take place on Saturday 23 April.
The four-tiered event, put together by the BTC Foundation in conjunction with Francistown Athletics Club, includes distances of 10km, 21km and the full 42km, as well as a 5km fun-run for kiddies.
An annual CSR initiative targeting local and international athletes, the IAAF-recognised marathon will start and finish at the Obed Itani Chilume stadium.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, BTC Head of Brand Management, Thabo Modise, stressed the initiative was not just about the running but about giving back to the community.
“We’re looking at ways to assist the informal sector and evolve Botswana,” he said.
Echoing these sentiments, BTC Head of Business Development, Pilot Yane spoke about the parastatal’s transformational journey in Francistown and the north east region.
He proudly pointed out that thanks to BTC’s investments, the northern capital has access to LTE (4g), which is the fastest internet connection currently available in the country for mobile devices.
“By hosting this marathon in Francistown, BTC further cements its relationship with the city and we’re hopeful that it will be an impactful and lasting one,” said Yane, whose organisation held the original BTC Charity Marathon in Ghetto back in 2016.
For his part, Deputy Mayor, Lesego Kwambala applauded BTC for choosing Francistown at a time when the entire country is recovering from a challenging economic period.
Kwambala admitted these financial hardships have had negative results, such as youth unemployment, stagnation of development, lack of transfer of funds or movement of cash and the informal sector experiencing difficulties due to minimal economic action.
“It therefore gives me great pleasure to be part of transformational initiatives that are geared towards transforming the social and economic landscape of the city of Francistown,” he said.
