WINDHOEK: The Omaruru Street Mile’s 10th edition was officially launched in the capital on Tuesday.
The race will take place in Omaruru on Saturday, with more than 1 500 athletes expected to compete in the 1.6-kilometre race, which combines speed and road race endurance.
Speaking during the launch, event organiser Berthold Karumendu said the race will have participants competing in different categories.
“The main event will have winners in the male and female categories walking away with N.dollars 7 000. This race has grown from prize money of N.dollars 3 000 when it started in 2013,” he said.
Karumendu added that Shield Namibia Power Save remains the primary sponsor, availing over N.dollars 100 000. Other sponsors include Pasta Polana, Coca-Cola, and First National Bank Namibia Omaruru.
Karumendu stated that he is expecting competitors from all over Namibia to participate and is therefore promising fireworks as many big names in Namibian short and long-distance racing will be expected to participate in the race.
Also speaking at the launch, the director of sports in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service Jo-Ann Manuel, called on all sports officers to emulate what Karumendu is doing by organising competitions in their regions to help develop sports in the country.
“This event has been taking place for the past decade, indicating that the organiser has been responsible to their sponsor who continues to support the event,” said Manuel.
On the day of the race, athletes will compete in categories including the business people’s race, primary 10-13 year boys and girls, junior women and men aged 14-19, veteran women and men aged between 40 and 49 years, the master’s men, wheelchair racing and women’s race for those 50 and over, and the senior men and women’s (20-39 years) race.
In 2022, Kefas Kondjashili won his fifth title of the Omaruru Street Mile in the senior men’s category, while Lavinia Haitope won the senior women’s category for the third time.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency