Standard Bank Be More Race attracts a field of 1,700 including athletes from Botswana, Kenyan

* Last year, Kenya long-distance runners, Geoffrey Kirwa and Monica Cherupu, won the men and women’s category respectively

* While locals Kefasi Kasiten and Grevazio Mpani shared the spoils in second and third positions

By Duncan Mlanjira

Over 1,700 athletes are expected to participate at the 2023 edition of the Standard Bank Be More Race in Lilongwe tomorrow, June 17, which has attracted international athletes from Kenya and Botswana.

Last year, Kenya long-distance runners, Geoffrey Kirwa and Monica Cherupu, won the men and women’s category respectively, while locals Kefasi Kasiten and Grevazio Mpani shared the spoils in second and third positions.

Standard Bank Chief Executive, Phillip Madinga said the attraction of the more international athletes attests the stature of Be More Race as Malawi’s internationally acclaimed half-marathon.

“Be More Race has since 2017 evolved into a multifaceted event bringing together local and international delegates,” he said. “The race creates a platform to rejuvenate people’s fitness and health as well as appreciate the wide range of curated financial services and solutions that Standard Bank has on offer.

“This is confirming that the Be More Race is becoming Malawi’s biggest event of the year on the athletics calendar. The stage is set and we look forward to an exciting day of intensity, endurance, networking, and camaraderie as local and international athletes, pros and non-pros alike, families, customers and communities come together to run,” he said.

It will be held under the theme ‘Level Up’ which aims to motivate Malawians to exert themselves further to achieve wellness and good health and to challenge people to achieve more as Malawi recovers from the devastating effects of Cyclone Freddy-induced flood disaster — which resonates with President Lazarus Chakwera’s #Operation Tigwirane Manja#

At the official launch in April, Madinga said the theme #LevelUp# aims to inspire Malawians to do better in all our endeavors, and most importantly for each other in collective efforts to achieve our dreams at individual, institutional, community and national level. 

“The theme also encourages us to be more than average — to be extraordinary, to attain the best version of ourselves and to never give up and never get satisfied with mediocrity.

“As a nation, we can achieve our vision for a self-dependent, healthy, and middle-income country by 2030, as espoused in our vision MW2063.”

Launched in 2017 as flagship athletics and wellness event to engage existing and potential customers, key stakeholders, and communities — through a key uniting passion point; sport — the Be More Race had a two-year break following the CoVID-19 pandemic.

On its return last year, it was celebrated under the theme ‘Road 2 Recovery’ and was also used to raise funds to support academic pursuit for the girl-child at Lilongwe Girls Secondary School through construction of hostels.

Madinga said of the theme then that it was aimed at highlighting the Bank’s leading role in facilitating the country’s CoVID-19 recovery efforts “in both respects of the economy and people’s wellness as well as to celebrate the resilience of a nation in withstanding socio-economic effects of CoVID-19 pandemic, while offering hope for a better tomorrow”.

For the competitive 21km Half Marathon, Standard Bank has maintained the five winning positions for both male and female categories as follows: 

* 1st position – K1.65 million 

* 2nd position – K1.1 million

* 3rd position – K550,000 

* 4th position – K220,000 

* 5th position – K110,000

The race attracts people and organisations from different sectors in addition to professional athletes locally and internationally since 2017 — becoming a multi-disciplinary event deploying a marathon that creates lasting relationships with different stakeholders locally and internationally. 

Meanwhile, Zomba Athletics Academy deputy matron, Eneless Makumba, who is also wife to the club’s founder and coach, Benedicto Makumba will participate in the Be More Race as well as the Blantyre 42.195km marathon to fundraise for Paralympic athlete, Mphatso Saukile who was affected by March’s Cyclone Freddy-induced floods.

His family’s home collapsed and Eneless, also welfare officer of the Academy, is targeting to raise K4.5 million to build him a new house as well as two other affected Zomba Athletics Academy athlete.

Despite the disaster that befell his family, the paralympic athlete participated at the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games in December 22 in 400m and 800m Regional 5 Games in Lilongwe where he won two gold medal in 800m and 400m and also represented the country in Italy Jesolo Grand Prix in Venice from May 12-15 — where he was second in 1500m and 5th in 400m in Open-aged competition.

The Makumba’s UK-based partner, Margaret McMullan is assisting towards raising £3,500 for Eneless’ cause through justgiving.com

She wrote: “A very successful Blind T12 Malawian international athlete, 18-year-old Mphatso is still homeless due to Cyclone Freddy in March this year. His home, along with two other Zomba Athletic Academy athletes was destroyed by the rains and wind of Cyclone Freddy and no other help has been provided.

“The Academy welfare officer, Eneless Makumba, wants to assist them through raising money in sponsorship. She is training hard to run the Be More Race (21km) in Lilongwe on June 17th and the Blantyre 42.195 marathon on July 30th.

“She would need MK4.5 million (approximately £3,530) to help replace two homes and repair one house. Eneless only started distance running last year when she joined her husband in the Mulanje Porters Race, which she successfully completed.

“Training and running for sponsorship is the way she sees she can try to help the club members who are in such a needy situation.”

McMullan enlightens the international wellwishers that Zomba Athletics Academy was founded by Benedicto Makumba in 2019 for the benefit of disadvantaged young people aged 14-20 in Zomba in Southern Malawi.

“Their unexpected good performances has brought many challenges but competition success is continuing but Cyclone Freddy destroyed the homes of three of the athletes.

“They urgently need homes,” she said, while appealing for wellwishers to sponsor Eneless, saying the money raised will be managed by a small group of supportive parents of the Academy’s athletes.

“I have followed the development of Zomba Athletic Academy and its athletes and give full support to Eneless. Her commitment to the athletes and training is truly inspirational.”

In the past year, the club’s 10 athletes represented Malawi in international meetings that culminated to Mphatso Saukile winning two gold medals at the Region 5 Youth Games.

“He was born blind from birth and he urgently needs a home if he is going to be able to keep training and have the the possibility of going to compete in the Paralympics in Paris next year,” said McMullan.

Meanwhile, the Academy’s founder and coach, Benedicto — a soldier with the Malawi Defence Force currently on UN peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) — also pays school fees for some of the underprivileged athletes using his own resources.

“The Academy has 47 athletes in total and I maintain the team through my salary I get from the MDF and from my business profits as well as occasional assistance from some of my friends.

“I get inspired because the are performing so well. Last year, the Academy got 17 medals at the national track and field events that took place in Lilongwe and contributed to Regional 5 games that took place in Lesotho.

“We were represented by three athletes namely Martha Bakili, Blessings Mwalure and Mphatso Saukile at those Lesotho Games where Martha brought silver medal in 3000m, Mphatso won silver in 800m and Blessings was in position 4 in 1500m.”

On the other hand, Makumba also emphasizes he encourages his athletes to concentrate on their academic pursuits and his contribution towards their school fees greatly motivates him as some have secondary school level.

“But to sustain them is a great challenge,” he said. “I am always going around appealing to wellwishers since the numbers are rising with 6 already in secondary school as of last year who were joined by five others.”

Makumba, who is also the national and southern Africa champion in 800m and 1500m, also paid tribute to the Academy’s Matron, Mrs Hande, a police traffic officer at Zomba Police for her tireless and selfless work in inculcating a culture of academic discipline in the atheletes.

Meanwhile, those wishing to support Makumba’s efforts of encouraging the athletes to also pursue their academic dreams, can deposit to Zomba Branch of the FDH Bank — Account name: Zomba Athletics Development Center; Account number: 1210000450527.