October 31, 2003
By Bontle Moeng
FOR the first time in its 12-year history the Old Mutual/Soweto Marathon is to be broadcast live on SABC 2, thanks to a R450 000 sponsorship from the City of Johannesburg.
Television coverage of the 42km race, on Sunday 2 November, will cover the entire race, from the starter's gun at 5am until the cut-off time at 9am. The prize giving at the end of the race will also be shown live on television.
The City of Johannesburg, through expanding the marathon beyond the participants and supporters along the roadside, was proud to act as a pioneer in supporting the growth of the marathon, said Johannesburg City Manager City Manager, Pascal Moloi.
More than 4 500 runners are expected to line up for the start of the Old Mutual/Soweto marathon, commonly known as the "People's Race", the richest standard marathon in South Africa. A total of almost R 300 000 in prize money has been set aside for events that include a standard 42km marathon, a 15km race, and a new 20 km walk.
The main race takes a circuitous route through Soweto's streets, starting and ending at the National Exhibition Centre (Nasrec), off Rand Show Road.
White City marks the halfway point and runners then pass the Jabavu Power Station and the Mapetla Bridge. The final stretch is along Potchefstroom Road, past the Soweto College of Education and back to Nasrec.
The City of Johannesburg's involvement in the race went beyond the television sponsorship, Moloi said. "The City will be distributing more than 1 000 water bottles and provide two watering points along the route." The City would also waiver the costs of putting up advertising posters for the marathon, he added.
Metro police and emergency services officials will also be deployed along the route during the event.
"The City's investment in sport greatly enhances its enviable association with the sporting fraternity and community development," Moloi said. "Sport is a significant contributor to tourism and major sporting events such as the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2002 World Hockey Tournament, the 2003 Cricket World Cup and the looming lucrative 2010 Soccer World Cup attest to this."
Johannesburg, Moloi said, boasted a proud track record as a sporting city, with about 2 500 athletes, 50 sports companies or organisations, and approximately 230 teams participating in over 24 sports codes.
Sport enhanced feelings of community identity and offered the youth positive lifestyles choices, which were crucial alternatives to self-destructive behaviour, he added.
This weekend's marathon will serve as a launch pad to the "Long Walk to Freedom" walkathon, scheduled for April 2004, as part of the Decade of Democracy celebrations, Moloi said.
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