Preparations for Run Gabz by Night marathon underway
Nchidzi Masendu | Monday July 3, 2023 16:00
The event, which will take place next month, is the first of its kind in the country. Event's founder, Mbakiso Mawila said he came up with the concept and engaged other people to come up with the first night marathon in the country. 'Run Gabz Marathon is a concept that was inspired by the escalating crime rates in Gaborone. I think right from last year, we saw the crime rate going up, so naturally we responded in different ways. I came up with this solution and even analysed it further to see if it is a durable solution and something we can adopt as a country,” Mawila said.
He said he decided to come up with something that will engage different stakeholders to work together towards restoring safety in the city hence why RGBN. He said a marathon by its very nature a unifying sport. “I thought a marathon will be the ideal mechanism for us to unite and come to a dialogue on issues of crime. Once that idea was hatched, that is when I engaged the Honourable Minister of Defense to say I have this idea by virtue of you being the Minister of Defense, this force falls under your ministry, so what is it you can do to assist in terms of ensuring that this idea sees the light. It is an idea that he was very excited about. So, I can safely say the Minister of Defense is on board with this marathon. He is the one officiating and who has endorsed the marathon,” Mawila added. Post the engagement with the Minister of Defence, they had a successful meeting with the Botswana Police Commissioner. 'This marathon plays an important role in showcasing the potential that we have at hand as a country to host major events. The marathon attracted interest even across borders, primarily because this race is not there in many countries. “Sports tourism is something we should expand such that it will help us in terms of revenue. T
he marathon is registered with the BAA and is part of the calendar. The marathon is in partnership with the Lion’s Den, which is the Botswana Police athletics club,” said Mawila. He said the routes of the marathon will be controlled by traffic police officers. He also said the registration of the marathon is linked to the policing area and the Station Commander will have a database to communicate with people in the policing areas. 'This will be helpful in ensuring that any incident that happens in your area, you are aware of it. The marathon has undertaken to come up with three crime response and prevention workshops,” said Mawilla. The Run Gabz at Night marathon has three categories which are 5km, 10km, and 21km.