Speaking during the colourful event, the Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner Nurdin Babu, who was represented by the Same District Commissioner Edward Mpogolo, said the Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon has come a long way and the race's 21st Anniversary is a true reflection of how serious and devoted the organizers and sponsors are.
“We are proud of the Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon, Tigo Kili Half Marathon, and Grand Malt Fun Run, they have proved to be one of the biggest international events in the East African region as it brings together over 12,000 participants from more than 55 countries… this is such a big milestone,” the Regional Commissioner revealed.
He said the Kilimanjaro Marathon has added an enormous contribution to sports tourism and this has greatly helped the government in implementing the tourism and sports policies respectively.
“I congratulate all the sponsors led by the main sponsor Kilimanjaro Premium Lager, Tigo Half Marathon, and Grand Malt 5 km Fun Run for your enormous contribution. Without you and all the other water table sponsors and partners, it would not be easy,” he said.
The official called on Tanzanians to prepare for the international event to ensure most of the prizes remain home.
Mpogolo also appealed to participants and spectators to use the Marathon season to tour various tourist attractions, including the great Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Zanzibar, and other attractions.
He lauded other sponsors including Simba Cement, Kilimanjaro Water, TPC Sugar, and official suppliers GardaWorld Security, Keys Hotel, Kibo Palace Hotel, and CMC Automobiles.
The Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Brand Manager Irene Mutiganzi, who also doubles as the Grand Malt Brand Manager, said they are proud to sponsor the event for the past 21 years, making it one of the longest and most successful sponsorships in Tanzania, adding that they have all these years been inspired by the development of athletics, growth of tourism and culture as a whole – which the event helps promote.
The Brand Manager said they are well prepared for the 21st edition of the Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon and have set aside 22, 760, 000/- in prize money, with the top winners in both the male and female categories walking home with 4.2m/-.
She called on participants to register in time as registration opens online on October 24 through www.kilimanjaromarathon.com and via TigoPesa by dialing *149*20#.
She further appealed to the 5km Fun Run participants to register early as numbers will again be limited.
She also appealed to fellow sponsors to register for the corporate challenge where they will get to run as a group and the organizers will calculate their average time and announce the winners after the race.
“This is a unique way of bringing us together as employees and also encouraging fitness and a healthy lifestyle in general,” she said.
The Tigo Corporate Communications Manager Woinde Shisael said: “We are committed to sponsoring the Tigo Kili Half Marathon for the 8th year because this property remains a critical platform to nurture talents, and boost economic activities while promoting environmental conservation around Mt. Kilimanjaro.”
She said Tigo is extremely proud of how this unique property has captured the imagination of runners from all over the world and continues to raise the bar, evidently seen in the meteoric rise in the number of professional and semi-professional athletes who register to participate each year.
“Participants who want to share moments, scenery, and experience of the 2023 Tigo Kili Half Marathon should register through Tigo Pesa and stand a chance to win amazing prizes on the ongoing 'Wakishua Twenzetu Qatar na Hisense' campaign,” she said.
Organizers of the event called on participants to take advantage of the early bird entry fee from Monday till midnight of December 15 after which entries increase in all categories and all nationalities from December 16 until midnight of February 6, next year, or until they are sold out– whichever is earliest as there is limited space. Entries are guaranteed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The organizers stressed the importance of the exercise in terms of the logistics and management processes they need to put in place based on the number of expected runners from both refreshments supplying planning through to safety and security on the route based on the road running capacity.
The organizers also said that the event will be supporting the Tumaini la Maisha (TLM) charity that aims at reaching every child in Tanzania who develops cancer, and treat them with high-quality cancer treatment free of charge with the hope for a continued and healthy life, adding that the event will set aside a percentage from every entry paid for and it will go towards the charity.
Through the various fundraising efforts by several runners and individual donations made when entering online, the 2022 Kili Marathon raised almost US $10 000 and this money was donated to The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi to support the Children Cancer Ward.
“KCMC is an important partner to the marathon due to its medical support at the event and the finish area each year and the support on route as the runners pass by the hospital on race day," the organizers added.
Individual runners and corporates are encouraged to ‘Run for a Cause’ and fundraise or make direct donations to make a difference in the lives of these brave children. Further details can be found online on the official website at www.kilimanjaromarathon.com
The Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon, which will be held on February 27, 2023, at the Moshi Cooperative University (MoCU) ground, is organized by the Kilimanjaro Marathon Company Limited and locally coordinated by Executive Solutions Limited.
