DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 local and foreign athletes will take part in the 5th edition of the Serengeti Safari Marathon slated for Nov. 12, organizers said Thursday.
Timothy Mdinka, director of the Serengeti Safari Marathon, said the long-distance foot race, one of East Africa's leading annual sports events, has attracted local and foreign runners, joggers and nature lovers from across the world.
This year's race will go in tandem with celebrating the Serengeti National Park's recent feats at the World Travel Awards (WTA), said Mdinka.
He said the marathon will also provide time for reflecting on the well-known 1961 Arusha manifesto, which is Tanzania's founding leader Julius Nyerere's philosophy to protect and cherish the country's spectacular wildlife as a prime national heritage.
"This marathon will also focus on sustainable conservation," said Mdinka, adding that the marathon will start at Ndabaka gate, the western entrance to the iconic Serengeti Nation Park, through the shores of Lake Victoria and back to the Ndabaka gate. ■