Independence Marathon tickets sold out

NTHAKO MAJORO
MASERU – Excitement is mounting for the inaugural Minet Independence Marathon this weekend as tickets have officially sold out, signalling a huge success for the much-anticipated event. According to Liketso Ramafikeng, the marathon’s coordinating manager, over 600 participants have pre-registered for the race, which will be held in Thaba-Bosiu, Maseru on Saturday. Speaking to Public Eye this week, Ramafikeng confirmed that registration officially closed on Monday, with the event reaching capacity well before race day.
“We had close to 600 participants when we closed pre-registration on Monday,” she revealed during an interview on Tuesday. However, while the official pre-registration period has ended, Ramafikeng noted that late registrations are still being accepted. The caveat? Those who register late will miss out on the coveted race T-shirts. “We are still allowing people to register, but they need to know that we have run out of T-shirts,” she said.
“Initially, we planned for 700 participants, but we had to adjust that down to 500 due to the slow response early on.”In August, the organising team made the decision to reduce the participant limit from 700 to 500, trimming the budget for event materials like T-shirts. “We did not want to have unnecessary costs with the slow registrations, so we reduced the number to 500,” she explained. “We also reduced the number of T-shirts from 700 to 500 to avoid wastage.”
Despite the changes, Ramafikeng was quick to reassure eager participants that the event is still fully on track. “Aside from the T-shirts, everything else is going smoothly. Race bibs are ready, and all preparations are in place,” she added. Although the event is technically sold out, the decision to allow up to 700 participants still stands, meaning 200 runners will have to do without the race T-shirts.
“We wanted to close registration on Monday, but we are extending it slightly, and I believe we will fully close by Wednesday.”The excitement does not end there. Athletes from South Africa are also expected to participate, adding a level of regional competition to the event. “I’m aware of South African runners joining us, though I am not certain if we have athletes from other countries,” Ramafikeng said.
The winners of the Minet Independence Marathon are set to walk away with a grand prize of M15,000 each, in both the male and female categories.
Full marathon prizes at a glance:
Main marathon (42.2 km) winners: M15 000
Runners-up M7 500
Third-place M5 000
Fourth-place M 3 000
Fifth-place M2 000
Half Marathon (21.1 km) winners: M7 000
Runners-up M2 000
Third-place M1 500
10 kilometres winners: M2 000.