Porters Race set for July 13
This year’s NBS Bank Mount Mulanje Porters Race will take place at Likhubula Forestry Office on July 13, Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) has announced.
Both local and international athletes will run the 25-kilometre track into the mountain to stand a chance of taking home the K60 000 (about $150) winner’s purse.
The event will also see athletes trekking on a rocky route to Chambe Plateau, which is about 2 500 metres above sea level, before proceeding to Lichenya Plateau and back to the forestry office.
MMCT environment, education and communication programmes officer Chimwemwe Njanji Kalitera on Wednesday urged interested male and female athletes over 16 years of age to train hard for the event which attracts a mammoth crowd every year since 1996.
“This is a race open to only those that feel fit enough to run on a rocky and hazardous route up into the mountain. We, therefore, urge all interested runners to get fully prepared before daring to contest. Otherwise, everything is set for the showdown on July 13,” she said.
According to Kalitera, local female participant will pay K100 (about 40 US cents) registration fee for the contest that will start at 6am while porters will pay K200. Non-porters and foreigners will be required to pay K400 and $20 [K7 000] respectively.
During the 2012 event, Evance Nyazule defended the title at the expense of renowned athletes such as Chancy Master, who emerged sixth, despite training for months at a High Performance Centre (HPC) in Kenya prior to the contest.
In the ladies’ category, Tereza Master did everything possible to prevent her runner-up Doris Fischer from defending the title after she returned to the tracks few months after giving birth to her daughter Sarah.
