Sithole wins Tanganda Half Marathon

MISHECK Sithole clocked one hour five minutes to clinch the men’s Tanganda Half Marathon in Mutare yesterday.

The women’s race was won by Rudo Mhondera in a time of one hour 11 minutes.

Sithole, who won the PPC Matopos Ultra Marathon 21km run in April, is a lone runner from Mutare and made his intentions of winning yesterday’s race clear when he broke away from the rest of the pack from the start.

Millan Matende from Black Rhinos was second in one hour six minutes, while Conscious Nyamutsita was third. The race was difficult for most runners, as temperatures dropped below 17 degrees and the 1 120metre altitude proved to be a challenge for them. The conditions, however, seemed perfect for Sithole, who is familiar with the weather and route course.

He attributed his win to the rigorous training schedule he followed for the past three months.

“I am glad that I won it this time. It had been a long time since anyone from Mutare won this race. I trained under these conditions for a long time and that is what made it easy for me to win.

“This is for all the runners in Mutare. I urge young athletes to follow suit,” said Sithole.

Mhondera (21) said: “I would like to thank my teammates at Powerhouse.

“Their encouragement made me champion today yesterday). It was all about training and having the right frame of mind for the race.”

Patience Garauzivo of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services was second to Mhondera in the women’s race in one hour 12 minutes. Bertha Chikanga from Mutare was third in one hour 17 minutes.

The race opened a new chapter for young runners to excel, as veterans failed to impress.

The 2016 men’s winner Kelvin Pangiso suffered an injury this year and opted for the less prestigious 10km stretch.

Bulawayo runners once again struggled to conquer the mountainous Mutare race route.