CHURCH FORUM LAUNCHES NEW HALF MARATHON

MAHLANYA – Runners should brace themselves for a newly-launched Eswatini Church Forum (ECF) Half Marathon.

The ECF Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Half Marathon was officially launched at the Bible Society Eswatini in Mahlanya yesterday. The first-of-its-kind event will be held on June 22 at Somhlolo National Stadium, starting at 6am. The race will have three categories 21km; 10km and 5km.

The ECF Chairman Reverend Bhekinhlanhla Dlamini said:  “We appeal to church bodies and Eswatini nation to come together and fight against NCDs through supporting this initiative.” Meanwhile, Athletics Eswatini (AE) General Secretary Thoba Mazibuko encouraged the planning of this event to be proper and appealed that clubs participate.

“We appeal to partners for assistance with items such as medals and t-shirts for the runners as these give the motivation. People are always keen to participate if they are well taken care of, hence it is crucial to have essentials such as water points available,” Mazibuko said.

Some of the sponsors have taken the initiative to ensure that water points are available for this race with room for more. Some of the partners for this race include the Lomakhosini Foundation, and Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisation (CANGO) as well as the Bible Society. Lamakhosini Foundation further pledged to buy 20 tickets for people with disabilities.

Registration for the race can be done at Fitness Zones in Manzini and Ezulwini, Voice of the Church (VOC) offices, Church Mother Bodies, ECF and via MTN MoMo Pay. The registration fee is E70 for 5km, E100 to race in 10km and E150 for 21km.

ECF on HIV and AIDS is an apex body of the religious organisations in the country. It is made up of five church mother bodies which include the Eswatini Conference of Churches (ECC), Council of Swaziland Churches (CSC), League of African Churches and Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist and International Tabernacle.  

The main objective of the formation of Church Forum in 1999 was to respond to human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epindemic within the religious sector.  However, with the advent of other communicable diseases ECF has shifted its programming to embrace other health-related issues through this annual race.

ECF has secured funding for a three-year project from August 2023 to July 2026 with an objective to promote early detection, prevention and management of NCDs. They will do this through raising awareness by encouraging active lifestyles. Hosting an NCDs-themed half-marathon is one of the strategies to meet their objective.

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