On Sunday 30 April 2023, I participated in the inaugural Gaborone Striders City Marathon. The Gaborone Striders Running Club was founded in 2012 by “a group of friends who had just discovered the passion in running” and it has since become a well-established and respected part of Gaborone’s running community. One of their well-known and much-loved events, the Gaborone Striders 10×10 Challenge, is now a mainstay on Botswana’s race calendar, and has grown in leaps and bounds over the years. So, when the Club announced that they would be organising the Gaborone Striders City Marathon, a race intended to showcase the historic and iconic landmarks of the city, and to act as an official qualifier for the Comrades Ultra Marathon, World Athletics, and Olympics events, the city was abuzz with excitement.

Fresh from the Molepolole Half Marathon the week prior, I was grateful for another opportunity to race BUT a shorter distance. I signed up for 10km while my husband Ditiro and friend Arifa signed up for the Half. On race morning, we picked Arifa up on the way to the UB Stadium. Once we had parked, we spotted a few familiar faces and as we were chatting a woman approached me and introduced herself as Gosego, an active blog reader and participant in my annual 9×9 Spring Challenge! I love meeting readers in person! When the long-distance runners had set off, I initially didn’t see anyone I recognised but then my cousin’s lovely wife Chipo spotted me. Soon, it was time for us to head out. So, did the race live up to expectations?!

FIVE Things I Loved About the Race

1/ Buzz Before the Race. Often, races don’t do enough to create an exciting build-up but with several activation runs and an active social media presence, a lot of excitement was generated before the big day. There also seemed to be active support from different clubs in Gaborone and around Botswana as several of them mentioned the race on their social media pages. This build-up is critical to ensuring a great turnout but also for creating that excitement in the wider community. Even people who are not runners asked me whether I had signed up for the race!

2/ Running in the Heart of the City. With a small variation, the 10km route was very similar to the UB 10km Race last year. From the UB Stadium, we headed to the UB Circle and took a right on Chuma Drive, passing the National Tennis Courts, the Gaborone Golf Club, the Avani Resort, all on our right. When we got to the Maru-A-Pula traffic lights, we turned left onto Nyerere Drive. At the Bull & Bush Lights, we turned left onto Nelson Mandela Drive before exiting left onto Independence Avenue. We remained on Independence Avenue, passing the Daily Grind, Red Cross HQ and Christ the King Cathedral. At the National Museum, we went left and then at the Princess Marina Hospital Circle, we headed right onto South Ring Road, left onto Jawara Road, then Mobuto Road and back to the University Stadium. Ditiro also enjoyed the Half Marathon saying it was “the most interesting course by far. A beautiful tour of our city” and Tshire commented that the Marathon was “a great way of touring the capital on my own two feet!“

3/ It’s Flat and Fast. Still tired from my Half Marathon, I was looking to have a fun time and not race hard. But a combination of the cool autumn temperatures and flat terrain meant the race lent itself to an enjoyable and FAST run! After a slow first kilometre navigating the crowds, I enjoyed a very consistent and steady sub 7min pace for the remainder of the race, with a surprising final kilometre in 6:25min! So, if you’re looking for a goal race to PB, this is it. If I don’t achieve my sub-2:15 Half this year, I will definitely give it a shot at this event next year.

4/ It’s Well-Organised. A late start had me worried (06:42am instead of the set 06:30am) BUT aside from this, the race was well organised with clear road markings, accurate marshalling, and sufficient water stops. When I asked Arifa what she thought of the race, this aspect is what struck her the most: “It was a lovely, well organised race – great water stops where people were very encouraging. The marshalling all over was brilliant. For their first-ever event, I was so, so impressed.” Personally, I love a Stadium Finish and when I came through the gantry there was a cheerful official with my medal, an enthusiastic race announcer commenting how far the marathoners were, and a long table with water, drinks and fruits. When Ditiro came through in a blistering 1:37 Half Time, his only complaint was that there was no watermelon left!

5/ The Race T-Shirt. I don’t often wear race t-shirts as I don’t usually find the fit, design or material very comfortable. This means Ditiro or my dad are usually very happy recipients! But I must say… this is one shirt that I have already worn on a couple of runs! So, this was a definite plus for me and I will happily wear this for an international race to show off my city’s name!

As we were waiting for Arifa to come through, we bumped into my cousins (Simani and Chipo who I had seen earlier). We took a selfie which I promptly sent to my dad who was ecstatic!

The race date for next year has already been announced as 7th April 2024 so if you missed out this year, you’ll get to experience it next year! I will sign up for the Half Marathon next time, so I explore even more of the city. Thank you to the race organisers and all the volunteers who helped to make this a successful and fun event. With its Comrades/ World/ Olympics qualifier status, its varied race routes, and its deliberate efforts to showcase Gaborone’s iconic landmarks, it is a worthy contender for the city’s biggest race in the near future.

I’m so excited to be linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday.