‘Fly Solomons Peace Marathon’ Preparations Gather Pace
Olympian Rosifelo Siosi among Hundreds of Runners Now Registered
THE Iumi Tugeda Fly Solomons Peace Marathon is well on track with hundreds of runners, including Solomon Islands Olympian and Pacific Games Gold medalist Rosifelo Siosi, now registered for the 23 October event.
Event organizer Travel Solomons managing director, Karen Foimua said interest in the event was very strong judging by the initial rush of registrations.
“We are confident we’ll see more than 500 runners competing across all four categories on the day,” she said.
“Having Rosifelo compete in the event is a huge bonus.”
The competitors, she said, will include with thanks to Solomon Airlines, six runners from the provinces being specially flown into Honiara for the event.
The event has attracted large numbers of sponsors eager to take part with Solomon Islands Ports Authority being named Gold Sponsor joined by the Heritage Park Hotel, Our Telekom, Pacific Casino Hotel, Solbrew, Solomon Power, Soltuna, and Solomon Post.
The list of prizes also continues to grow with Solomon Airlines domestic flights, Our Telekom mobile phones, vouchers, and cash up for grabs.
The Event
Scheduled to take place in Honiara on 23 October 2021, the event is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Tourism Solomons, Travel Solomons, and Solomon Airlines.
The Fly Solomons Peace Marathon will comprise four events – 2K, 5K, 10K races, and a 21.1K Half-Marathon – with a host of attractive sponsor-donated prizes to be awarded across a variety of categories.
The Fly Solomons Peace Marathon forms part of the ongoing ‘Iumi Tugeda’ campaign launched in September 2020 as part of a five-point plan intended to rekindle and sustain the Solomon Islands tourism sector’s fortunes as it looked to adapt to the COVID-19 environment.
While primarily positioned as a social event to bring the people of Honiara and the Provinces together in a fun activity in this uncertain COVID-19 pandemic-dominated times, the event is also intended to remind people of the ongoing Solomon Airlines-driven ‘Iumi Tugeda Holiday Program’.
Launched earlier this year, the initiative has played an active role in encouraging Solomon Islanders to holiday in their own backyard in support of struggling tourism operators affected by ongoing international border closures.
As importantly, the event is also seen as being key in drawing the community’s attention to the celebrations being planned around an event that will once again see the world’s spotlight shine upon the Solomon Islands – the 80thAnniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal which falls in August 2022.
SOURCE: TRAVEL SOLOMONS
Attached Image: Long-distance runner and triathlete, Rosifelo Siosi. PHOTO CREDIT: Travel Solomons.
