‘Marathon running is the future’

Spotted at the Katutura Youth complex sport field, leading a group of about ten athletes is youthful and slender Lavinia Haitope.
Namibian Sun caught up with Haitope to deliberate on her athletics career as a long-distance runner.
The 26-year-old, who started her athletics career while in primary school in the long-distance track events and who only decided to move into marathon running this year, has already begun to shine.
Haitope for the first time this year ran a 42km race in Gaborone, where she achieved her personal best which was also a Rio Olympic Games qualification
time.
Unfortunately, there were only three quota places for Namibian female marathon runners and because Haitope came fourth, she missed the opportunity.
As she smiles, Haitope says getting the news that she could not compete at this year’s Olympic Games was not disappointing at all, saying she was still young and confident that the best is still ahead of her.
“I was excited to hear that I ran an Olympic qualification time, obviously everybody else would be too, but hearing that they only take three females I was not so disappointed.
“I told myself that I am still young and this is my first time running a full marathon so that was just an indication that the future ahead of me in marathons is bright,” she said.
Haitope said after competing in the
1 500m and 800m track events for years she thought she could try out marathons.
“When I decided to go for marathons it was not as if I was not doing well in track events, but I thought it is easy to qualify in marathon unlike for track,” she said.
She said running her first full marathon race was not tough at all, as she has prepared well in advance for it.
She explained that transforming from track events to marathons only took her two months to prepare, also for the competition in Botswana and it was not a tough journey.
“You know when I started marathon running it is not really that it is the easy way out, I was just trying. I mean I am still young so I thought since I do achieve my personal best on the track let me give it a try in marathons.
“I think I will continue with marathons from now on, I have established myself well from the start so I think this is the future for me,” she said.
Haitope who is inspired by marathon runner veteran Helalia Johannes, said Johannes had always motivated her since she started doing marathons.
She indicated that since she is not going to the Olympic Games, her focus is now on the Sanlam Cape Town marathon in September.
“My focus now is on the Sanlam marathon and winning that competition would mean that I really have got the best ahead of
me. “You know running a race of 42 km is long but even when I ran it for the first time in Botswana, I never thought of giving up. My aim is always to finish the race and that is what I focus on and not the distance that I have to run,” she said.
She added that with or without a competition ahead of her, the aim is always to train harder and maintain her fitness.
Haitope’s athletics career started while at Onambutu Combined School in the Ohangwena Region before moving to Eenhana Secondary School and later Gabriel Taapopi Secondary School where she wrote her Grade 10 and later joined the police force in 2013.

Achievement
The young athlete lived up to her promise over the weekend as she romp home to win the 21km of the Keetmanshoop Victory Race leg.
Haitope crossed the line ahead of Sarif Eshitile in second and Ottile Aimwata in third
Thomas Rainhold won the men’s division of the Victory Race after he beat Uveni-Nawa Kuugongwelwa and Paulus Vilho into second and third place respectively.


KAINO NGHITONGO