* Reigning champions in professional runners 21km race are men’s Chikondi Mwanyali and women’s Teleza Master
* Athletics Malawi’s technical team is ready to provide officiation support, course validation, and athlete coordination
By Duncan Mlanjira
Standard Bank Be More Race is indeed proving it is the country’s flagship athletics event on the sports calendar as the 2025 edition set for tomorrow at Gateway Mall has attracted over 2,700 participants — which is up from 2,334 last year.
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Overall, about 3,100 are the total stakeholders taking part as Athletics Malawi (AM) says it is all set to host another competitive half-marathon in Lilongwe, whose reigning champion is Chikondi Mwanyali.
The 21km event is catered for professional runner’s development, which saw Chikondi Mwanyali retaining the title last year in a time of 1:06:00hrs — but failed to break his own record he attained in 2023 edition of 1:05:45.
Also retaining their positions in second and third were Mphatso Nadolo and Chancy Master respectively and both also failed to break their own records — with Nadolo finishing in 1:06:34 against 2023’s 1:05:52 while Master finished in 1:7:50 against 1:06:06.
The women’s 21km was won by Teleza Master from Mulanje, who also failed to break her record in the race finishing in a time of 1:24:22 against 2023’s 1:23:45 when she came 4th — while second position was taken Walise Chirwa in 1:24:53 with Enifa Kapinda finishing third in 1:31:34:62.
AM president Kondwani Chamwala says their technical preparations and its structures are complete and welcomed new innovations introduced by Standard Bank Plc for this year’s race.
“Athletics Malawi’s technical team is ready to provide officiation support, course validation, and athlete coordination,” he says. “We also engaged local clubs and elite athletes to ensure they are registered and ready for the race.”
Standard Bank Plc Head of Marketing, Tamanda N’gombe announced that this year’s race will see the bank introducing new innovations designed to improve the race experience and match international race standards.
The innovations include upgrades in race management using modern athletics technologies through the introduction of an e-tracking system for runners that is set to ensure transparency and improve timely access to race results.
“Overall, this kind of system doesn’t just make races smoother — it transforms them into high-tech, fair, and fan-friendly experiences,” Tamanda Ng’ombe said in the count-down to the Be More Race 2025.
She further unveiled that the other upgrades include an expertly crafted race jersey for an international marathon experience — “a custom race jersey with expertly crafted specifications to ensure comfort, during and after the race”.
“It is a race jersey that can be used beyond the event for other workouts and fitness activities,” she said of the Bank’s signature event, whose theme this year is ‘Run in Blue’.
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Thus Chamwala said the AM has been working closely with Standard Bank Plc to ensure high standards of athlete welfare, race monitoring and smooth results managemeny, saying: “We remain committed to delivering a safe, inclusive and competitive race and commend Standard Bank for the great strides taken to raise the bar this year.”
This year’s theme of ‘Run in Blue’ was chosen to celebrate resilience, wellness, community spirit — core values that define Standard Bank and its commitment to supporting initiatives that drive growth.
As with previous years, Standard Bank pledges that it will ensure the event upholds the highest standards of safety, organisation, and community engagement — adding that participants can look forward to an energetic race village, blue-themed merchandise, and entertainment for all ages.
