Hangana going from Strength to Strength

Only in its second year since the sponsorship take-over by Hangana Seafood, the annual coastal Hangana Hake Run & Ride is going from strength to strength.
Official registrations closed on 16 September with an influx of entries that have already surpassed last year’s entries with close to 800 participants confirmed. Late registrations will be accommodated the day before the event on 5 October between 14h00 (2PM) and 22h00 (10PM) at the Jan Wilken Stadium in Walvis Bay.
This landmark sporting event takes place on 6 October in Walvis Bay and combines seven different running and cycling events under the banner of the Hangana Hake Run & Ride. It also coincides with the Walvisfees (Whale festival) at the Jan Wilken Stadium in Walvis Bay on the same week-end, which offers live music, food stalls, fun and entertainment for the entire family.
The running events include a 42.2km marathon (qualifier for the Two Oceans and Comrades mara-thons), a 21.1km half marathon, and a 10km fun run. The cycling events include a 92km road race, a Namibian Cycling Federation sanctioned event, a 21km fat bike and 21km mountain bike race and a 5km kiddies’ race.
The event is hosted by Hangana Seafood, a sub-sidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group. Nedbank Namibia, well-known for its support of cycling in Namibia, has once again come on board with a sponsorship of N$100 000 towards the event.
“As one of the leading employers in the Namibian hake fishing industry, and a member of the O&L Group that is inspired by our purpose of ‘Creating a future, enhancing life’, Hangana Seafood is proud to host this event in Walvis Bay as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) portfolio. We are not only trying to encourage a healthy lifestyle through this event, but we are also giving back to the community,” says Hangana Seafood Managing Director, Herman Theron. He adds that 15% of all registration fees of the Hangana Hake Run & Ride will annually be donated to a local charity organisation.
This year’s beneficiary is the Sunshine Centre which cares for children with physical and mental disabili-ties, located in Walvis Bay. Hangana Seafood
has a long history of supporting various charities and care centres for people with physical and mental disabilities.
The very popular marathon event starts off at Pro-Ed Academy Primary School at Mile 4 in Swakopmund and follows the unique B2 route along the coast between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, offering exquisite scenery to those athletes who have enough breath left to actually look around and admire the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib dunes separated by a just thin strip of road. The half marathon event starts half-way between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay at Long Beach and follows the same coastal road to the finish line at the Jan Wilken Stadium in Walvis Bay. The 10km fun run offers runners the unique opportunity to take in the tranquil scenery of the Walvis Bay lagoon as a section of the race is run along the promenade.
The most popular long distance road cycling event (92km) sees Namibia’s top cyclists compete in a race that takes them from Walvis Bay out into the Namib Naukluft Park on the C14 road past the Walvis Bay airport to a turnaround point before returning to the Jan Wilken Stadium.
The 21km mountain bike and 21km fat bike races offer participants the unique opportunity to appre-ciate Walvis Bay’s unrivalled desert and salt pans scenery. There is even a 5km kiddies race to ensure the entire family can participate in the event.
Arguably Namibia’s oldest sporting event, the Hangana Hake Run & Ride has a unique history that dates back to the 1980s. It started out in 1983 as the Ovenstone Shield before being renamed as the Ovenstone Dolphin Marathon.
From 1986 onwards, until Hangana Seafood took over the sponsorship in 2017, it was known as the Lucky Star Marathon.
Although dominated by local entries, the event is growing in popularity for participants from neighbouring countries who not only visit Namibia to take part in the event, but also use the opportunity to enjoy our country’s unique tourist attractions. This year, two running clubs from Botswana and South Africa have entered groups of more than 15 participants.
Entries also include participants from the United States of America, Canada and Japan.
For more information please visit the event website www.hanganahakerun.com or facebook page @hanganahakerun.