SUVA MARATHON CLUB:
Medals for President’s men
Four participants from the Office of the President MajorGeneral (Ret’d) Jioji Konrote who participated in the Island Chill Suva Marathon Club team event were presented bronze medals at the Borron House yesterday. Each member of the team ran a quarter marathon of 10.55 kilometres.
The team comprised Julian Toganivalu, Ben Taoi, Nitesh Narayan and Savenaca Kenawai clocked a collective marathon time of 3hours 50minutes and 19 seconds. Suva Marathon Club secretary Marita Manley thanked the participation of staff from the Office of the President.
“As a champion of addressing non-communicable diseases in Fiji, we were delighted to see staff from the Office of the President not only participating but also making the podium in the Team Marathon event.
“As a patron of Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) we are very thankful for the support the Fijian National Sport Commission provided to the event through Athletics Fiji – and also to FASANOC staff for assisting with registrations and timing.
“Our vision is to support runners in Suva and throughout Fiji to work towards, enter and compete in long distance races as part of a healthy and active lifestyle. In a small way we hope that our events are playing a role in the fight against NCDs. “Our regular club runs have seen a growing number of people from across Suva help each other to improve their times week by week. From beginner runners walking and running 3km to regular runners who are looking for others to push them a bit harder.
“Our flagship event on Saturday – the Island Chill Suva Marathon the turnout from clubs across Fiji, the private and public sector, and the public in general saw an overwhelming 1300 runners take to the seawall – with everyone walking or running at least 10km – a great achievement, especially for those joining us for the first time.