‘I have really enjoyed!’ told me Ruth, a slim athlete of 46 years, already a grandmother, already a mother but never an athlete before than today.

More than 300 women at a sport event in Zambia, moreover in the bush, were never before seen. Three categories: Under 12, Under 30 and Over 30. Many known faces like Dorothy Shawa and Ruth Kapempe, champions in many Never Give Up and now too young mothers, maybe spurred on by the exceptional Esther Mweswa a fantastic second in the under 30 after giving birth in the last few months. She has won a mattress where she will rest and cuddle her baby boy. Many new faces especially among the Over 30 like Winnie Lukomba from Kabwesa, first, Lainess Lishosho, second, and Jean Zingani excellent third. Continue reading →

I am sure I must have said it already a thousands times, but the Mungu-Kabweza is my
favourite race! Once you have passed the second gate it is like stepping into a new world.

What  I like the most is the people. A Coach from Kafue Town once told to never trust people from Kabweza: ‘they are all witches’, it is enough about 10 km to transform someone you do not know into something scary and to stay away from. Superstition, ignorance, fear are a dangerous mix and not only in Africa! Continue reading →

The Never Give Up starts again! We are at the fifteenth edition!

Today’s race is the C7 to Mungu, 7km for the Seniors and 5 km for the Juniors. Continue reading →

The longest race in the NGU circuit scares many athletes off, mainly among the senior girls who are about ten. Special guest of today Bruno who after the Slums Dunk training for today he is the official photographer of the race other than enjoying the race and the beautiful arrival at the market-port of Chaniania.

The seniors start off great, Americano keeps the first place for a little more than a kilometer, then Prosper Phiri with his UNDER 10 Top Scorer from the 2010 football league catches him. But the three champions, Gillias, Abraham and Sydney who started slow get them with any problem and win the podium. By now champion of the fourteenth edition of the NGU, Gillias came back to the Never Give Up after performing amazingly at the national championship in Ndola where he kept up with professional athletes who train in Japan even though he was not training, he realized he has great talent, he still works as a brick layer but takes a day off the days of the race. The senior girls podium too is confermed: Mercy Kapempe, Milika Muweswa e Ramona Muyoya.

The Junior’s departure is a couple of kilometers further, for them the race is of 10km. among the boys first at the arrival are Best Michelo, Emmanuel Kunda e Joe Malambo. The junior girl champion, Patience Kunda arrives third, maybe still tired from the very long bus journey from Tanzania. First is Silvia Malaila and second Grace Ntelesha.

The arrival in Chaniania is always among a crowd of children covered in dust who play in front of the market of the port. There is a very young girl, maybe just over 4 years, carrying an even younger one on her back, like a miniature mum she cuddles and cares for the little sister of a few months. There are a couple of completely drunk men, they could be anything between 20 and 40 year old, alcohol to numb their problems has destroyed them. The arrival of each race gives a picture of the reality we are in, every glance tells a story, every smile is a sign of hope in this beautiful market with the river flowing gently a few meters away.

Mungu-Kabwesa! I like this race, I like mainly the arrival at Kabwesa with the ever present cows, the church and the school one in front of the other and the many children playing with the used tires of bicycles  and cars. This afternoon Zambia is playing against Sudan and the Junior team from Chaniania are all wearing the Chipolopoli jerseys.

At the arrival as we are waiting for the Juniors, after a race which saw him conquer the second place Lucky Kazembe comes closer carrying in his arms the small Christine all covered up even with a woolen beanie in this very hot day. Christine is two months old and is the daughter of the young Lucky who after finishing the school last year he is now studying metal fabrication and ‘I like math and technical drawing’ he tells us with enthusiasm.

First at the finish line are Gillias Nangwala, Lucky Kasembe and Abraham Kunda. Soon after also the Senior girls arrive with MercyKapempe, Milike Muwewa and Ramona Muyoua. Podium once again for Joe Malambo, third Junior boy, second Emanuel Kunda and first Best Michelo. Patience Kunda first Junior Girl, followed by Loveness Malaila and Grace Ntelesha.

After the prize giving of this third race of 2013, a special award: Paul Kazembe and Maxmillian Nkandu receive medals from the OYDC Presidential Challenge as ‘most improved’ and ‘most promising’. Two young raising stars of the Zambian athletics.

Next race in three weeks time, and the next post from Moshi in Tanzania for the East Africa Cup to which Sport2build has been invited with four football teams, one sitting volleyball and one culture group.

The shortest race of the Never Give Up circuit is the favorite among the Juniors, very young children line up with enthusiasm for the registration.

The date for the interschools races was set up all of a sudden just a couple of days ago on the same day of our Never Give Up and we risked to have a very low participation rate, but this did not happen, the stronger athletes chose to run the Mungu round rather than take part in the school competition, since it is often biased by out of school children who participate giving fake DOBs. Continue reading →