BY SABELO GWEBU
MBABANE– The Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga has successfully launched the second edition of the Lubombo Marathon to be staged on April 1.
Hosted by TZD Athletics Club, just like all other important sporting competitions, the Lubombo Marathon suffered the documented effects of the notorious COVID-19 pandemic which grounded the entire globe in a way that was never seen before.
This occurred after the club had successfully held the maiden edition in 2019, which already showed glimpses of a greater future going forward until the pandemic struck.
Bulunga said during the launch at Sigwaca House that bringing back the event is a very brave and notable move, one that shows the depth of TZD’s passion and commitment to the development of the sport in the country.
“The Lubombo Marathon also aligns with our drive as Government, to have an Eswatini that is both physically and mentally fit. Athletics is not just a sport. It is also a form of unwinding and releasing all the stress and tension caused by several factors affecting our day-to-day lives. Road running plays a huge role in fostering a healthy lifestyle and events such as the Lubombo Marathon have the ability to draw mass participation, giving people the chance to socialise in the process,” Bulunga said.
Athletics Eswatini (AE) president and TZD Director Zakhele Dlamini said the event will no doubt breath some air of prestige towards the region, given that Lubombo has always been capable of breeding passion and fun with a great social impact.
“To this end, we are proud to announce that the second edition will be action-packed in the true sense of the word, as it will have a full marathon 42.2km, a 21.1km (half marathon), and 10km categories,” Dlamini said.
The route for the 42.2km will commence at the Siteki Sports Ground and run towards Mhlumeni Border Gate and back, while the half marathoners and the 10km runners will use buses to their starting points as it happened in the first edition.
