The Lucky Star Marathon, Namibia’s premier coastal running event has
once again been a massive success with foreign nationals from 11 countries
participating in this year’s event.
Apart from being the premier marathon event in Namibia, the Lucky Star
Marathon serves as a qualifier for the Two Oceans and Comrades marathons. The
event is unique in the sense that the course follows the scenic main road
between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, where runners are able to enjoy the cold
Atlantic Ocean on the one side, and the rolling sand dunes of the oldest desert
in the world, the Namib Desert, on the other side.
Etosha Fishing, Namibian home of the revered Lucky Star brand, is the
main sponsor of the event and aims to promote community involvement and the
benefits of a healthy lifestyle among the youth through this event. For this
reason, significant focus is placed on involving schools from across the
country. Athletes from participating
schools are sponsored with transport, accommodation and food, allowing them to
travel to Walvis Bay and participate in the event. For many children this
opportunity also means seeing the ocean for the first time in their life.
The Lucky Star Marathon also supports the “Feet
Forward” charity project, which collects and distributes running shoes for the
less fortunate. For the fourth year
running various schools and organisations in Cape Town, and for the second year
organisations in Namibia, have collected shoes for schools participating in the
marathon.
The project was started to support and promote
running as well as other sports at the many schools around Namibia that
participate in the Lucky Star Marathon.
This year 10 schools have benefited from this initiative, which is sure
to grow with future events.
The total participants for this year’s event according
to the various categories are as follow:
- 42km – 83
- 21km – 187
- 10km – 133
- 10km relay – 95
Countries represented included: Brazil, Spain, Angola, Zambia, Malawi,
Mozambique, Mauritius, Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana and the United States
of America.
This was also the first year that the marathon used fully integrated
online technology to enhance the race experience. For the first time registrations
were done online through the Etosha Fishing website (
www.etoshafish.com.na), which has a
dedicated section on the Lucky Star Marathon. Furthermore, timing of the
athletes was done using real-time capturing technology provided by Finish Time,
which allows for immediate availability of results.
A full listing of the marathon results, photos and video clips of the
event, are available on the Lucky Star Marathon section of the Etosha Fishing
website:
www.etoshafish.com.na
