Bulawayo is set to host the very first Baldmin Holdings half marathon and fun run on April 19th at White City Stadium.
Organizers anticipate a significant turnout for the event, with expectations of at least 1000 participants.
This includes both elite athletes and recreational runners eager to compete in the 21km, 10km, and 5km races.
The competition will feature a wide array of categories, catering to different age groups and abilities, such as Open, Veterans, Masters, Grandmasters, Wheelchair, and Junior divisions.
Significant prizes are on offer for the top performers in the main 21km race, with the winner set to receive US500. The second and third-place finishers will be awarded US400 and US$300, respectively.
Engineer Costar Takawira, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Baldmin Holdings, stated that the preparations for this inaugural event are progressing smoothly.
“We as Baldmin Holdings are in partnership with the Bulawayo team and we are sponsoring the Baldmin Bulawayo half marathon. All the preparations are now in an advanced stage with the prizes, the uniforms for the runners, medals, and all the necessary items that are required for the event to take place have been acquired,” he said.
He further noted the collaborative nature of the event: “But this event, we are not sponsoring it alone, we have a few minority partners ( from South Africa) who are chipping in. We would be working with the City of Bulawayo, who are also part of the main organizing team.”
Takawira also outlined the future vision for the race and Baldmin Holdings’ broader commitment to athletics development.
“We want to make it an annual event and it’s also part of Baldmin Holdings’effort to contribute towards the uplifting of athletes around the country. We will try to have these marathons in Bulawayo, Harare and Mutare as we want to ensure that we promote and emancipate athletes,” he added.
Baldmin Holdings has a history of supporting local athletics, having previously sponsored events like the Gift Chigwere Junior Championships and the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe triangular series.
Reflecting on their past and current focus,
Takawira said, “We have been involved in quite a lot of development or grassroots levels within the rural areas. This is now our new target area, and we will support the association whenever we’re called. But at the moment, we are doing events from grassroots so that we promote our junior athletes, upcoming athletes, from the previous years. We are also building our clubs in disadvantaged areas and that’s our main focus at the moment,” the former Zimbabwe sprinter said.
