Tanzanian International Athletes race into rural villages to take international Marathons Home
International Athletics Champion, Gabriel Geay who is the defending holder of the Valencia marathon national record, is organizing a special racing event for Manyara Region.
He is organizing the event in conjunction with Posso International Sports Promotions, of Florida in the United States and Asics sports shoes outfit of Japan.
This inaugural Madunga Cross Country Marathon 2025 will be held on the 8th of February this year, in the Madunga village of Babati District in Manyara Region.
Despite being a rural race, the Mudunga Cross Country has attracted international participants from as far as Kenya and other African countries. The event will be flagged off by the Manyara Regional Commissioner, Queen Sendiga.
The rural marathon event has so far attracted 300 participants from all over the country and beyond. It will also feature special guest appearances by other renowned global racers such as Alphonse Simbu.
The event comprises the main 10 kilometers Marathon, for senior men and women runners above 18 years of age, then there follows three more categories, including the 6 kilometers students race for young people, boys and girls attending secondary schools.
Madunga CC Marathon will also feature an even younger racing category for Primary School Pupils aged between 13 and 15 years.
There will also be a children’s race for toddlers aged 10 and 12 years in lower schools.
Monetary prizes will be awarded to all participants recording top performances.
The first winner in the 10 kilometers race gets 500,000/-.
The top runner in the 6 kilometers marathon will pocket 100,000/- while the winner in the 4 kilometers run gets 80,000/- and the 2 kilometers pockets 50,000/-.
ASICS Corporation, the Japanese multinational corporation that produces sportswear is also joining the mission, ready to sponsor Tanzanian youths with athletics potential to race overseas.
ASICS is sponsoring the Manyara race with awarding 100 pairs of sports shoes to the participants who complete the race.
It should be the first marathon in the country to be taking place in a remote village, where according to the organizers, the event is bound to attract new athletics talents from grassroots and establish an athletics center in the local ward.
“Our target is to promote athletics in rural areas of Tanzania, starting with Madunga village where I was born and bred, this is also a way to recognize my roots and promote the sports in places never ventured before,” said Geay.
“This is a new mission to take cross-country marathon events in rural parts of Tanzania, to make the country a global school for cross-country racing,” Geay maintained.