Comrades winner targets Kazungula marathon
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday January 15, 2024 16:00
Speaking to SportMonitor on the side lines of the press conference, the soft spoken Dijana said he will use the FNB Kazungula Marathon to prepare for the 2024 Comrades Marathon. He won the 2022 Comrades Marathon before grabbing last year's title with an impressive 5:13:38, shattering the 2016 record which stood at 5:18:19.
“On the day of the FNB Kazungula Marathon, I was supposed to be running the Nedbank Marathon in South Africa, which I was also going to use as part of my preparations for the Comrades Marathon set for June 9. I have not hit the peak of my preparations; this is just a foundation,” he said.
The Ultra Marathon champion said there is no pressure running the Comrades for the first time, but the challenge comes with defending the title because you become a target for other title challengers, adding that he would need to be tactical and know the right time to attack and break away.
Dijana said he intends to defend his title for the third time during the up run, starting from Durban and finishing in Pietermaritzburg. The Nedbank Running Club member said if local road runners want to be successful, they should work hard, be disciplined and believe in themselves. He said his presence at the FNB Kazungula Bridge Marathon is to offer support with the hope that one day the event would grow to the state of an ultra marathon. FNB Kazungula Marathon organiser, Obert Morgan, said last year they launched various sponsors including the Botswana Post, which would be responsible for merchandise distribution, equipment and water distribution. The Botswana Post is also the sponsor of the People with Disability category in the marathon. “We have a product called FNB Kazungula Bridge marathon.
It is no longer about me, (but) the product belongs to Batswana. We have to take care of it. Today we are sitting at 23 sponsors with the latest being Clicks Botswana. I urge all companies operating in Botswana to support sport as much as they could. Sport is an industry that can create jobs and that it can only happen if we have commercial investment.
The money in sport is not gate takings, it is commercial investment. Sporting codes must also learn business language when they approach companies for sponsorship,” he said. Morgan said preparations for the marathon are at an advanced stage and the race merchandise is expected to be completed this week.
He said the prize money for the marathon winners (42,2km) for the men and women categories has been increased from P50, 000 to P75, 000, making it the highest paying marathon in the country. Morgan said the FNB Kazungula Bridge Marathon is meant to grow tourism in the Chobe area. He added that they need to influence infrastructure development in Chobe and that can only happen by coming up with initiatives like the FNB Kazungula Bridge Marathon.