By Derrick Silimina
The 2024 Kansanshi Marathon attracted more than 1,600 runners, including international enthusiasts, who set off from Trident College on the Kansanshi Mine Main Road for scenic runs covering five kilometres to 42km.
The Zambia Amateur Athletics Association (ZAAA) was excited to see runners tackle the full marathon (42.2km), half marathon (21.1km), a 10km race, and a five-kilometre ‘fun run’ during the second edition of the Kansanshi Marathon.
“As the president of athletics and also as a pioneer of running in the country, it gives me incredible joy. We started the inter-company relay on March 13 of 1999, followed by the Lafarge Marathon, the first of its kind in the country; and then the Absa Marathon among others. “These events encouraged athletics in the country, thereby promoting good health,” ZAAA President Elias Mpondela said during the Kansanshi Marathon held at Trident College in Solwezi.
Mpondela emphasised that the increase in participants entailed economic benefit, to which Solwezi and its fully booked hotels and lodges were a testament.
ENERGY
He stated that the power of hosting a marathon created an energy shared by many from all walks of life locally and abroad.
“Our challenge as ZAAA is about how to harness and transition the young people into track and field events in a bid to create another Samukonga Muzala - who comes from this province and the women national record holder for 42km champion Elizabeth Mukoloma, who is also from Solwezi. This means that this province has great potential,” Mpondela said.
Zambia is doing well in track and field competitions, hence the need for all stakeholders to promote the sporting event if the country is to continue featuring at the African, Olympic, and Commonwealth Games respectively.
Mpondela hailed First Quantum Minerals (FQM) for taking up the Kansanshi Marathon as an annual event, a venture that further promoted the sporting event and wellness of its workforce, community and the country at large.
“This event from inception has been recognized by World Athletics - what a great accomplishment! It goes to show how FQM is making strides to promote athletics in the country. The mining company's ability to organise such a huge event with participants from other parts of the country and beyond in a social environment enhances comradeship which also inspires the community that there is more to do than just mining.”
LARGEST
The Kansanshi Marathon is so far the largest sporting event that the North-Western Province has ever seen, attracting runners from all over Zambia as well as those from Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. With cumulative prize money of just over K570,000 - the largest prize purse in Zambian athletics history - the sporting event attracts foreign athletes who come to battle it out on the race track with their local counterparts.
Speaking at the same event, Kansanshi Mining Plc General Manager Meiring Burger affirmed that since sport is an equaliser, it is important for the mining giant to nurture the upcoming talent in Solwezi and the country at large.
He described this year’s event as ‘fantastic’ considering the huge turn-out of athletes from all walks of life, the lively atmosphere, and positive results achieved from the 2024 event.
“We need to take these races to other towns and on behalf of Kansanshi management, I want to challenge other mining companies to bring their teams here and see if you can compete with us and let’s spread all these events and promote athletics across Zambia,” Burger said.
FANATICS
The illustrious event drew athletic fanatics aged five to 60 who embraced their racing pace, running stride-by-stride with each other during their choice of distances.
The marathon attracted multitudes of Solwezi residents to the roadside where they cheered on the participants, including Kansanshi’s elite running team, who are on their way to becoming some of Zambia’s fastest athletes.
Running is one of several sports supported by the Kansanshi Sports Foundation, which recently started a running academy that provides coached running programmes in eight secondary schools around Solwezi.
In the women’s category, Elizabeth Mukoloma from Kansanshi’s elite running team finished the event’s half marathon (21.1km) in just over one hour, incredibly close to Zambia’s national record for this distance.
In the men’s 42.2km race category, Zimbabwean runner Lyno Muchena took the day followed by Zambian athlete Costern Chiyaba.
“Despite a number of hills along the racing route, I managed to finish the race in good time because I trained very hard. I knew how tough it was going to be. Athletics makes me happy and I proudly do it for a living as the sport has improved my livelihood,” Mukoloma said.
She added that the sport had enabled her to build a house through the prize money she wins whenever she competes in athletics events held both locally and abroad.
Mukoloma, 26, paid tribute to Kansanshi Mine for having identified her talent in athletics adding that through Kansanshi’s elite running team, she was now able to compete effectively and win.
“Before the mine identified me, I used to struggle a lot with lack of access to training facilities and logistics among others. But now my life has changed for good because I have competed many times locally and abroad and achieved a lot through my running career.”
The event being accredited by the World Athletics Association (WAA), enables runners to use their finish times to qualify for events anywhere in the world, and serves as a strong incentive to the runners.
For Justin Kupatisha, a retired soldier who was brimming with confidence, participating in a race alongside international athletes was a dream come true.
Kupatisha, 59, who took part in the 21.1km race disclosed he had been training hard so that he continued to take part in the prestigious marathon.
“Mine is not to compete to win but to be fit, because I was competing with small boys and that’s why for me it’s just to keep fit. Thanks to Kansanshi Mine for always motivating the locals to keep fit, promoting the sport among the youths in a bid for them to earn a living through athletics.”
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