5th Two Countries Marathon (South Africa and Zimbabwe) September 5

Harare — MORE than 300 athletes including those from Zimbabwe and South Africa are expected to compete in the fifth edition of the Two Countries marathon scheduled for Eric Louw High School in Musina, South Africa, early next month.

The Two Countries marathon, being organised by the Musina municipality as part of their centenary celebrations, will also include a 10km walking race and a half marathon. The marathon, to be run on September 5, will start at the Nottingham turn off, 10km out of Beitbridge along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo road and end in Musina while the walking race and the half marathon will begin and finish at Eric Louw High School.

Local co-ordinator Mbongeleni Muleya, yesterday said 40 runners had so far registered and appealed for more athletes to enter the competition before the marathon's registration deadline tomorrow. The deadline for other races is 5am on the day of the event. "Preparations are at an advanced stage and we are almost ready to start rolling. We hope the event will be a big success this time around considering the overwhelming response we are getting from the athletes.

"We have since held a number of meetings aimed at reviewing our success in the last event. Interested athletes should bring their identification documents and even if they don't have travel documents, we will facilitate a smooth passage for them to run in Musina.

"Those who want to register for the main event will pay R50 and R30 for the 21.1 km race. We have categories ranging from junior (13-16), Open (16-39), Veterans (40+), Masters (50+), Grandmasters (60+) and the walkers," Muleya said. Winners will receive medals and cash prizes ranging from R200 to R3 600.

Last year the event attracted 288 athletes from Zimbabwe and South Africa with Zimbabwe contributing 40 participants. The Zimbabweans who won all the categories with Nkosiyazi Sibanda of Blanket Mine Athletics Club winning the main race, dominated the race.

The Two Countries Marathon has become an annual event since it started in 1996 following the twinning of Beitbridge and Musina towns.