Lucky Star Marathon arrives

The Lucky Star Marathon, Namibia’s premier coastal running event, is taking place this Saturday. Apart from being the premier marathon event in Namibia, the Lucky Star Marathon serves as a qualifier for the Two Oceans and Comrades marathons. The event is unique in the sense that the course follows the scenic main road between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, where runners are able to enjoy the cold Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the rolling sand dunes of the Namib Desert, on the other side. Etosha Fishing, the main sponsors of the event, aims to promote community involvement and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle among the youth through this event. For this reason, significant focus is placed on involving schools from across the country.   The marathon attracted approximately 790 runners in 2013 and with the participation of 10 SADC countries in the Southern Regional marathon division it is envisaged that this year’s event will be even bigger and better. The event offers four different routes with varying levels of difficulty to satisfy the appetite of hard core athletes and fun runners alike. The full marathon (42.2 km) and the school relay (10.2 km) will start in Walvis Bay, whereas the 21.1 km and 10 km races will start in Swakopmund. Starting times of the respective events are 06h00 for the full marathon; 06h30 for the school relay; whereas the fun run and the half marathon will start at 07h00.