Kilimanjaro Marathon 2022 season launched in Dar
Dar es Salaam. The 20th edition of the prestigious Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon 2022 has been launched in Dar es Salaam at a colourful event that saw different athletics stakeholders coming together to mark the important milestone for the event.
Speaking during the launch, which was held at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, the Tanzania Tourism Board Chairman Judge Thomas Mihayo (rtd) hailed the organisers and sponsors for the consistency that has seen the event grow into one of the biggest sports events in the country and within the region.
He said the Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon has added an enormous contribution to sports tourism and this has greatly helped the government in implementing the tourism and sports policies respectively.
“I salute all the sponsors led by Kilimanjaro Premium Lager (main sponsor), Tigo -21km Half Marathon and Grand Malt -5 km Fun Run for your considerable contribution, without you and all the other water table sponsors and partners, it would not be easy,” he said.
He called on local and regional businesses to take advantage of the event, not only to use the opportunity to make more profits but also strive to deliver quality products and services as he also appealed to participants and spectators to use the Marathon season to tour various attractions including the great Mt Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Zanzibar and others.
He lauded other sponsors who include Absa Tanzania, Unilever, Simba Cement, Kilimanjaro International Leather Industries Co. Ltd, Kilimanjaro Water and official suppliers GardaWorld Security, Keys Hotel, Kibo Palace Hotel and CMC Automobiles
The Director of Sports in the Ministry of Sports and Culture, Yusuf Singo called on other marathons in the country to emulate Kilimanjaro Marathon for the manner in which it has consistently adhered to the IAAF and Athletics Tanzania guidelines hence growing year after year and attracting sponsors and participants from both in and outside the country.
“The government will continue working together with the organizers of Kilimanjaro Marathon to make it better,” he said.
On her part, the Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Brand Manager, Irene Mutiganzi who also doubles as the Grand Malt Brand Manager, said this was a milestone for her brand which has been sponsoring the event since inception 20 years ago.
“We are going to mark the 20th anniversary in style as this goes into history as one of our biggest and longest existing sponsorships that has seen Kilimanjaro Premium Lager reaching greater heights year after year,” she said.
She said they are well prepared for the 20th Anniversary of Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon and have set aside Sh22 million in prize money with the top winners in both the male and female category walking home with Sh4 million each and the first Tanzanian male and female in the 42km race will receive a motivational prize of Sh1.5 m each.
She called on participants to register on time as registration opens online on October 17, 2021 through www.kilimanjaromarathon.com and via TigoPesa by dialing *149*20# . Irene also appealed to the 5km (Fun run participants to register early as numbers will again be limited.
On her part, the Tigo Brand Manager, Anna Loya said Tigo has been at the forefront in sponsoring the TigoKili Half marathon for over seven years now and their continued presence in championing the half marathon category further cements their commitment to nurture local running talent and support sporting activities in Tanzania.
“Over the years we have been able to complement our sponsorship endeavors with community initiatives, in 2022 we expect to do bigger things especially through our Tigo Green for Kili project which was launched in 2021 to conserve the environment around the Mt.Kilimanjaro region and ultimately reduce the adverse impact of global warming,” she said.
She also congratulated the organizers of the Kilimanjaro marathon for achieving 20 years of coordinating and supporting this national event, which brings together professional and non-professional athletes from across the globe. “Additionally we encourage runners to register early for the Tigo Kili Half Marathon 2022 edition through TigoPesa to avoid last-minute inconveniences,” she said.
Organizers of the event called on participants to take advantage of the discounting period where they will enjoy a 20% discount from October 17, 2021 to January 7, 2022 after which participants will have to pay the normal fee.
The Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Marathon, will be held on Sunday February 27, 2022 at the Moshi Cooperative University (MoCU)
