Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA’S long-distance running stars, Alphonce Simbu and Magdalena Shauri, say they are fully prepared to perform strongly at the upcoming Boston Marathon scheduled for April 20 this year.
The athletes are currently undergoing intensive training in Arusha as they sharpen their form for one of the world’s most prestigious marathon races.
Simbu, who is coached by Antony Mwingereza, finished second in last year’s Boston Marathon, stunning hundreds of elite runners from around the world who participated in the race.
On September 15 last year, he also claimed victory at the Tokyo 25 World Athletics Championship Marathon, securing a gold medal after completing the race in 2:09:48. The achievement made him the first Tanzanian to win gold in that competition.
Speaking about the athlete, the president of the Tanzania Athletics Federation (RT), Rogart Stephen, said this year’s Boston Marathon is expected to attract more than 130,000 runners around the globe.
Among them will be last year’s champion, John Korir of Kenya. Stephen added that Simbu is well prepared and aims to set another record for both Tanzania and the international athletics stage.
Stephen noted that the federation is actively overseeing and coordinating training and other preparations to ensure Simbu and Shauri are in top form ahead of the Boston Marathon.
He said both athletes are determined to break records with strong performances this year.
Despite the federation’s support in supervising their training, Stephen also called on athletics stakeholders, the government, and well-wishers to provide both moral and financial support to help the runners succeed and bring honour to the country.
“Simbu and Shauri are currently training intensively in camp, determined to surprise the world at the Boston Marathon. We should pray for them during their preparations and support them in every way possible,” Stephen said.
Simbu’s coach, Mwingereza, expressed confidence in his athlete, saying Simbu is not intimidated by the competition and is familiar with many of his rivals.
This, he explained, is why preparations for the race began early, given that the event attracts some of the greatest marathon runners in the world.
