Lake Victoria Marathon to save the lives of 4,000 premature babies

MWANZA: ‎THE Lake Victoria Marathon is expected to raise funds to help and save the lives of premature babies.

‎‎The race, which is being held for the sixth consecutive season, this year will be held on November 15, 2026 at the Furahisha grounds in Ilemela District, Mwanza Region, expecting to attract more than 3,000 participants.

‎‎Speaking today, October 10, 2026,  the Coordinator of the Lake Victoria Marathon, Hilda Viggo, at a press conference in Mwanza, noting that 10,000 premature babies are born every year in the Lake Region regions.

 ‎‎”Out of the 10,000 babies born, approximately 4,000 to 5,000 premature babies lose their lives every year, so we have decided to use this year’s race to help the community by raising funds to help premature babies. We are doing this for the second year now,” she said.

‎‎In parallel, Hilda said this year’s race also aims to combine sports and social activities, with premature babies being among the main targets of this year’s campaign, while urging citizens to register and participate to achieve that goal.

‎‎She said the race will be held on World Premature Baby Day, which gives them an opportunity to sensitize the community about the challenges facing premature babies.

‎Furthermore,she said last year more than 2,870 participants participated in the race, while this year they are aiming to attract more than 3,000 participants, who will run a distance of 2.5km  for children, 5km for fun run, 10km for company participants and 21km half marathon for elite runners.

‎She said the race will start and finish at the Furahisha grounds, while other goals are to boost the economy of Mwanza, connect people and provide entertainment.

‎‎The Chairman of the Mwanza Regional Athletics Association, Edwin Ngonyani, said the Lake Victoria Marathon has contributed to promoting the sport, attracting young talents and promoting the tourist attractions of the Lake Zone.

‎‎Ngonyani, who is also the Technical Chairman of the race, said the competition has encouraged young people to form running groups and increase opportunities to develop athletic talents in the region.

‎“It is our pleasure to see this race continuing to take place. We urge people to come out in large numbers to register and participate so that its goal can be achieved,” he said.

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‎‎He added that the race has been bringing together people from various groups and providing an opportunity to contribute to activities aimed at helping the community.

‎‎For his part, the Business Manager of Mixx by Yas Lake Region, Charles Elisante, said the company continues to participate in the race due to its contribution to improving health and building solidarity among citizens.

‎‎He said this year they have focused on supporting efforts to help Tanzanians, especially underprivileged children.

‎‎Elisante said the race should not end in entertainment alone, but should also promote good health and contribute to social welfare.

‎‎A stakeholder in the race, Yohane Sunguya, said they have collaborated with the organizers to ensure the safety of participants for four consecutive years.

‎He said they will continue to provide security services to ensure runners participate in a safe environment and all activities are carried out in an orderly manner.