The much anticipated 2nd annual Summer Kids Fun Marathon will stage it’s successful turn out with 500 kids participants this coming Saturday 22 April at the Three Dikgosi Monument in Gaborone CBD from 7am until 4pm. The event, bigger and better will add extra family fun day for kids with games such as jumping castles, board games, clowns and mascot displays.
The marathon which started in 2022 after the realisation of lack of physical activities post the COVID 19 pandemic and inactive school sport is the brainchild child idea of Fan’Mo Sports Agency. In an interview this week, the duo head honchos, Moagi Madisa and Martin Fani elaborated that the marathon is a unique and biggest event of children of ages between 3 – 16 years.
“Normally after working hours, parents usually engage in physical exercises characterised by the running clubs, Sunday soccer extravaganzas and the like. They do this with exclusion to kiddies involvement. We therefore through our team conceptualised the latter to create a lifestyle that it’s lifespan will be continuous”, said the duo statement.
“We firstly engage the Botswana Athletics Association to endorse the marathon, to align with their development and grassroots strategies. It is also our understanding that all running activities belongs to the BAA. In our first edition , we received 320 kids and this year we moved swiftly to target 500 kids which we achieved by the support of all stakeholders. The lessons from the last year edition has also prompted us to start preparation earlier. The early bird tickets start in the beginning of December 2022 and ended the same month end. This was the beginning of calculated preparation. We are ready giving the goodie bags to our patrons as of Tuesday 18 – 20 Thursday April 2023”, Fani explains.
For his part, Madisa thanked the partners of the fun marathon ahead of the event day, hinting a series of marathons to widen their reach. He said they are advancing in talks with stakeholders to take the marathon in the northern part of Botswana this August 2023.
“We are closing with other partners to have this fun activity for kids in other parts of the country, our next which we are launching soon will be in the North this August 2023. We are confident that this marathon will cultivate the spirit of exercising among kids, not only that, it brings unity among children, the more they play together, the closer they become as peers. We are also educational, they have to know the importance of physical activity in their bodies and its perks. It is the easiest way to put the NCDs at bay”, Madisa concluded.
The event has partnered with different stakeholders such as Botswana Athletics Association, BOKOMO, Komatsu, Avani hotel, Phoenix Assurance, Grip Runner Store, Coca Cola, Khumo Properties and Asset Management, National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency, Fleetline Graphics, Fan’Mo Sports Agency
