Afritrex - The Marathons
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Distance: 26 miles (42kms )
Date & Time: 7th September, 2008, 06:30
Altitude: 896 m
No of entrants: 1000
Average temp: 25 degrees
Holders: Nkosiyazi SIBANDA, Margreth MAHOHOMA: ZIM
The Victoria Falls Marathon, has been developed in conjunction with the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe, and is AIMS registered to provide a platform for both local and international runners to pitch themselves against the best! The route is fast and relatively flat and is supported by regular water points and cooling down sections. The route crosses over the Vic Falls Bridge, briefly into Zambia offering runners some of the most spectacular scenery in Africa. It is fitting that the winners in its inaugural year were both Zimbabweans though greater competition is expected in 2007 and 2008.
Mid race the racers cross the scenic steel bridge over the narrows of the Zambezi River just below the falls which connects Zimbabwe to Zambia (see left). They then turn around and re-cross the bridge back into Zimbabwe. The falls themselves are 1.7 km wide and over 115 metres deep. The course then followed a beautiful route along the Zambezi River, through the National Park, and then through the suburbs of the town. The half marathon finished at the local primary school, where local hotels had set up a finish with great atmosphere—and the school swimming pool was most welcome in the heat. The marathon route continued along the main road towards Botswana, through a large natural teak forest, before returning to finish at the school. In the National Park section runners are accompanied by elephant, buffalo, impala and baboon. Runners' security was ensured by armed National Parks wardens along the route. The locals had seen nothing quite like this before and crowd support was great. It was a Sunday no one would forget for a while.
Local schoolchildren flocked to talk to the top runners, earnestly asking for advice—maybe a top runner of the future was amongst them. Zimbabweans took the honours in the full marathon, but Zambians scooped the men's half. A look at the times does not do credit to this course, which is run at about 1000m altitude and has some hilly sections. In the future a winning time of around 2:15 could come from this course.
Adequate footwear was sadly lacking among the local runners, many running in "safari boots", gym shoes, and even barefoot. The winner, 25-year old Nkosiyazi Sibanda, ran the whole race barefoot, as did many of the others in the top 10. Addressing this need will be a priority for the organizers, who will seek support from the AIMS community. The Minister of Tourism attended, and with his support and that of the Zimbabwe and Zambian governments the race is set to grow into a major event on the running calendar in Africa. It is certainly one of the most scenic places in the world to run a race.
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