First annual marathon brings mountain communities together, showcases health services and local products.
More than 2,000 people from local communities celebrated a unique and spectacular moment, marked by the opening of the 1st annual Mount Gorongosa Marathon, led by Gorongosa District Administrator, Pedro Mussengue.
The event was organized by Gorongosa National Park and funded by the Irish Embassy, with support from several partners, including Millenium Bim, Coca-Cola, Vodacom, Bonaqua and Logos Serigrafia.
The women’s and men’s soccer matches marked the morning of the event, which took place under a scorching sun, but the desire to win prizes for their communities was stronger and nothing prevented the games from happening.
In the afternoon, theater, dance and music groups took to the stage, each showcasing their talents and costumes, as the judges’ scoring was rigorous and discerning.
Running strong through the heart of Gorongosa.
The first annual event took place over two days, given its size. As the name suggests, the second day was marked by races in the women’s and men’s categories.
Each community was represented by its number of participants. The organizing team distributed T-shirts and handed out the competitors’ identification numbers.
The women’s race was held over a distance of 3 km, while the men’s race was held over a distance of 5 km. The courses required strength, endurance, and good physical fitness, as they took place in mountainous areas.
Health and nutrition take center stage.
Considering the massive participation of community members in the event, the health team was present to provide support and also to bring the health fair to the public.
Pregnant women and mothers with babies had an opportunity to attend health consultations, get vaccinated, and check their babies’ weight, as well as learn from demonstrations held during the event on how to prevent an increase in child malnutrition rates.
With the same goal of promoting health in the community, theWASH program took the opportunity to talk to community members about the need to ensure hygiene and cleanliness in their homes, highlighting the construction of latrines to prevent spreading disease. A construction model was presented to the communities to serve as a guide and ensure that families live and grow up healthy.
Showcasing local products and community services.
The Serra Marathon, funded by the Irish Embassy and organized by Gorongosa National Park, provided various organizations and individuals with the opportunity to showcase their products.
The Gorongosa coffee project presented products such as honey and coffee produced in the mountains, highlighting the importance of reforestation. The Science Department has also been inspiring young people to become future scientists and conservationists.
Partners such as Millenium Bim and Vodacom provided a space for community members to open bank accounts and register their Mpza cards.
As it was a hot day, Coca-Cola and Bonaqua displayed theirproducts and offered them to event participants.
Celebrating winners, inspiring future champions.
After the conclusion of all competitions held in the 1st edition of Maratona na Serra, the judges announced the winners’ prizes in their various categories.
For women’s and men’s soccer, the first-place winners received a check for 20,000 meticais, including sports equipment and a ball. The second-place winners received a check for 10,000 meticais, plus sports equipment. Finally, the third-place winners received a check for 8,000 meticais.
For the race, in the women’s 3 km and men’s 5 km categories, the winners received checks worth 15,000 meticais, the runners-up 10,000 meticais, and the third-place finishers 5,000 meticais.
It should be noted that the senior categories were also classified, with the winners receiving checks for the same amount as their classification.
As for the music, theater, and dance categories, the prizes ranged from 2,000, 3000 and 5,000 meticais, covering everything from costumes to the best musical message and the best play, encompassing themes such as conservation, keeping girls in school, health and sanitation, gender equality, and others.
Text, photos – Janado Nazare Cher