Are You Tough Enough to Tackle Gaborone?

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The Diacore Gaborone Marathon is Botswana’s largest running event! The inaugural event was held in 2010 and now seven years down the line, the Diacore Gaborone Marathon is an IAAF certified qualifier for the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, the Commonwealth Games as well as the Olympic Games Marathon Event.

Since 2010 the race has raised over four million rand, and has been afforded the opportunity to donate funds to many deserving non-profit organisations. As testament to the event’s growth and success, the 2017 Diacore Gaborone Marathon welcomes the De Beers Group of Companies as a new Diamond status sponsor.

In order to get you ready for this year’s event, we give you a few helping hands and some guidelines to follow in order to make your race that much more special!

Water Intake

It is important to give your body plenty of liquid, especially with the climate in Botswana. On the day of race, the Diacore Gaborone Marathon's official water sponsor will have plenty of water available along the route. For the serious runners there are energy drinks to go with the water intake to give an additional boost to the body. Always remember to take small sips rather than huge intake at one time.

Blisters

By now you are probably starting to increase the distance you run and maybe doing one longer run a week. Blisters can be a problem when running for an extended period of time. A good tip is to use Vaseline on your feet, especially around the toes and outside the socks. This should ensure that friction is minimized and you can run the distance comfortably.

Pace Yourself

Push yourself in the three months of January, February and March with a rigorous training schedule. However by April, it is important to turn down your training schedule in the week of race day so that the big day is a personal success rather than a day of overwhelming agony. In your interval training you should be making sure that you put yourself into oxygen debt. At the same time you should reduce your recovery times so that you are forcing the pace. On your long runs it is important to focus on pace. One of the biggest mistakes in a full marathon is too start too quickly.

Staying Mentally Focused

When you are on a long run it would help one not to focus on how much further you have to go but on how far you have already run. It can be quite uplifting to know that you have already run 21 kilometers, rather than to think about the remaining 21 kilometers. So always focus on the positive.

If this is your first marathon, run at your own pace and do not be distracted by others and if they are going faster or slower than you. Make sure that you concentrate on your pace, may be listen to music as it helps many people from getting distracted. Always let the crowds help you and lift you through the latter part of the race when your will to run and energy levels start to flag. And always remember if you finish you have a memory and experience that will last you a lifetime.

WIN with Modern Athlete

Modern Athlete is once again giving runners an amazing opportunity. Enter the Modern Athlete Diacore Gaborone Marathon competition and stand in line to win an amazing weekend away at the Peermont Grand Palm Hotel and Casino Resort for two people sharing and at the same time bag yourself an entry into the 2017 Diacore Gaborone Marathon valued at R4000.00.

This prize does not included travel to and from Botswana and the winner must be able to travel to Botswana between Friday, 5 May and Sunday, 7 May 2017. This prize is not transferable to another date and must be used the weekend of the marathon.

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