Orange Marathon organisers promise improvement
Following hiccups at last year’s event, when runners complained the route signage was confusing and hard to see, organisers of the Orange Phikwe Marathon are confident there will be no mishaps this time round.
The famous long-distance race was overshadowed by a protest from Kenya’s Sheilah Saina, who, unsure of the route, was disqualified after getting lost along the way.
To avoid a repeat of this on Saturday, organisers have already shared the route and were due to issue race packs and numbers on Thursday.
So far, 2, 100 runners have registered for the Selibe Phikwe-based event, an increase of 700 from the 2022 edition.
This includes 40 international runners from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia, who will be participating in the full 42,2km marathon as well as the shorter 21km distance.
The reigning champions, Namibian duo, Matheus Jesaya and Mweshange Kange, are both back to defend their crowns, with Jesaya hoping to improve on the stunning 2:17:13 he set last time out.
Speaking to Voice Sport, Orange PRO, Ratang Motladiile revealed they had taken the feedback from last year on board and learnt from past mistakes.
“Last year race collections were done only on Friday and this year we will start issuing them on Thursday from lunch until 8pm and Friday the whole day at Hotel Selibe. We have a technical partner Striders on board making sure that all the routes are marked and in compliance with the Botswana Athletics Association standards,” said Motladiile, whose company has sponsored the marathon for the last six years.
Top prize for both men’s and women’s main race is P25, 000.
