History was made at this year’s Rössing Marathon when, for the first time ever, a foreign national managed to win the event twice in a row. Zambian national Mathews Mutanya, the defending champion from 2018, beat a string of strong contenders to win his second Rössing Marathon in a time of 2:21:49. Mathews walked away with N$10 000 in cash for his troubles and said at the prize-giving ceremony: “I enjoyed the event so much last year that I decided to return and invite a few of my countrymen along to also compete against Namibia’s best.” A strong team of Zambian athletes ended up winning prizes in various ladies and men’s categories on the day.
Kefas Kondjashili was the first Namibian over the finish line, coming in second overall in a time of 2:22:55. As first Namibian male across the finish line, Kefas received the Rössing Marathon development bonus, worth N$20 000 of in-kind support, for the development of his running career over the course of the year.
Beata Naigambo was crowned ladies open champion in the marathon in a time of 2:43:21. As first Namibian lady, Beata also received a development bonus worth N$20 000.
In total, over N$100 000 was awarded to winners in various categories on the day.
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| Mathews Mutanya - Rössing Marathon men's open winner with Jacklyn Mwenze, Rössing manager Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) |
Beata Naigombo - Rössing Marathon ladies open 2019 winner receives her prize from Jacklyn Mwenze, Rössing manager Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) |
Rössing Marathon race director, Frank Slabbert, receiving a token from Rössing Uranium at the naming of the half marathon in his honour |
The overall winners, with their winning times, were as follows:
21KM HALF MARATHON
* Men: Tomas Rainhold, 1:05:39:02
* Ladies: Helalia Johannes, 1:10:42
10KM RUN
* Men: Daniel Paulus, 30:24
* Ladies: Anna Amutoko, 35:29
This year’s Rössing Marathon, held in warm weather conditions around Swakopmund, reached another milestone, with record entries of over 600 participants in the running events and more than 300 walkers taking part in the 5km Fun Walk in support of the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) and the fight against cancer. Close to N$4 000 was collected for CAN in the process.
The theme for this year’s Rössing Marathon was “My health, my right!” Shaan van Schalkwyk, Rössing’s acting managing director said during the event that: “The main aim of the marathon championship is to spark a long-term interest in healthy habits and proudly associate Rössing Uranium with the promotion of healthy lifestyles in the mine’s neighbouring communities. At the same time we aim to foster friendships and teamwork among all participants. As a responsible mining company we strive to create positive impacts through our values of safety, excellence, integrity, respect and teamwork.”
In a special announcement during the prize-giving ceremony, Rössing announced that the 21km race during the event will in future be known as the “Frank Slabbert Half Marathon” in honour of our long-time race director, Frank Slabbert, who supervised his 28th consecutive Rössing Marathon this year. Frank is the current chairperson of Swakop Striders Athletics Club, our partners in hosting one of Namibia’s oldest and most popular, premier long-distance events - the Rössing Marathon.
Click here to download the results
Contact:
RUL.communications@rossing.com.na
www.rossing.com
Media Relations, Rössing
Botha Ellis
T +264 64 520 2426
M +264 81 286 0456
botha.ellis@rossing.com.na
Media Relations, Rössing
Alwyn Lubbe
T +264 64 520 2436
M +264 81 122 5201
alwyn.lubbe@rossing.com.na
Daylight Ekandjo
Manager Partnerships, Communication and External Affairs
T +264 64 520 2288
M +264 81 639 2950
daylight.ekandjo@rossing.com.na