Author: YASINTA AMOS
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Annual Mount Meru International Marathon is on cards again, expected to race in Arusha on September 27th, this year.
According to the new race Director, Mercy Michael Ntabago, this year’s event targets a serious promotion of tourism and the forthcoming race has so far attracted 2,000 participants from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the host Tanzania.
“Part of the prizes includes a package to tour some of the local attractions, in addition to attractive monetary offerings,” she explained.
Still, according to Ntabago, the newly revived, oldest race in the Northern Zone, is sticking to 21km half marathon of the main event, which gets flagged off at Sheikh Amri Abeid Kaluta Stadium in the City that Sunday.
But the older version of the Mount Meru Marathon, which was always billed to be the most popular sporting event in Tanzania during the 1980s and 90s, used to cover the 42km full marathon.
Ntabago stated here that the routes will also be the same as those of last year and with four weeks to go more runners and other participating countries will be announced because enrolment exercise is going on.
Focusing on tourism promotion, the race organisers also intend to take participants to any of the following destinations especially the Arusha National Park located at the foot of Tanzania’s second highest peak, the Mount Meru, which the event is named after.
