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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
ZIMBABWE runners’ dominance in the annual Econet Victoria Falls Marathon was ended by Zambian Mathews Mutanya yesterday.

Mutanya romped to victory in two hours 21 minutes and 32 seconds in the main 42km race.

Last year, Mutanya finished third in two hours 19 minutes and 53 seconds.

Four-time winner Nkosiyazi Sibanda from Blanket Mine, who surrendered his dominance to Black Rhinos’ Millen Matende last year, finished a distant fifth in two hours 33 minutes and 35 seconds; slower than his 2016 time of two hours 19 minutes and 35 seconds.

However, defending champion Matende opted to run the half marathon where he finished fifth in one hour six minutes 55 seconds, but found solace in that the Zambian failed to beat his record of two hours 19 minutes and one second.

Matende said he chose the 21km race as part of his preparations for the World Championships slated for London from August 4-13 this year.

“I couldn’t run the full marathon because I’m preparing for the marathon in London which would have meant I would need three months’ rest. The rule is that before another tournament of such magnitude, one needs to rest for three months and there is no such time. I took this half marathon as training and I was not concerned about speed in the race,” Matende said.

The event was not without drama, as Botswana runner Godiraone Nthompe was disqualified for cheating after having initially been declared sixth in the full marathon in two hours 24 minutes and 50 seconds.

It was later discovered that Nthompe hadn’t followed the prescribed route and joined the top 10 finishers at a vantage point. Fellow runners alerted authorities, while electronic recorders planted along the route that tagged microchips on the race number, also didn’t capture him at four distance points.

National competitions director in the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe Titus Madzingo confirmed the disqualification, which aided Zimbabwe’s Kudakwashe Chemhere to fit in the top 10.

“Recorders detected that athlete number 240 cheated as he was not recorded on four points along the way. The rule says if you miss those four points you dodged the race and other athletes said he just joined them on the way from nowhere,” Madzingo said.

Mike Forokorani finished second to Mutanya in two hours 22 minutes and 16 seconds in the veterans’ category.

In the female’s category, 44-year-old veteran Tabitha Tsatsa of Powerhouse Athletics Club in Harare defended her title in two hours 57 minutes and six seconds in the full marathon, while Lizzie Chokore improved from third place last year to finish second in three hours one minute and two seconds.

Another veteran Samukeliso Moyo also proved that she wasn’t a spent force yet when she finished the full marathon in three hours three minutes and 48 seconds to settle for third.

Linet Tom from Poland and Honging Du from the United States finished in the top 10 in three hours 51 minutes and 38 seconds and three hours 52 minutes and two seconds respectively.

The men’s half marathon was won by Robson Chigara, who finished in one hour six minutes and two seconds to beat Munyaradzi Jari and Jacob Mugoneri, whose times were slower by 23 and 26 seconds respectively.

Patience Garauziye won the women’s half marathon in one hour 21 minutes and three seconds, with Chiedza Chokore finishing in one hour 24 minutes and 46 seconds.

The event was graced by Victoria Falls mayor Sifiso Mpofu, who challenged athletes to take sport seriously, saying it defines one’s future in life and business.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief operating officer Givemore Chidzidzi also attended the event.

A total of 2 700 runners took part in this year’s edition; up from 2 200 last year. Top 10 finishers were rewarded, while winners of both the men’s and women’s full marathon each pocketed $900, while half marathon winners each took home $500. — @ncubeleon