Long – distance runners of the Namibian Correctional Service ( NCS ) dominated the various categories during the 10th edition of the QKR Namibia Navachab half – marathon , which took place in Karibib on Saturday . NCS athlete Paulus Daniel and Namibian Police Force runner Lavinia Haitope were crowned the new champions of the Navachab half – marathon after finishing first in their respective categories . The 10th edition of the Navachab marathon saw over 700 athletes competing in the 21 – kilometre ( km ) race , 10km , and the five – kilometre fun walk and run . Daniel , representing NCS , completed the men ‘ s main race in one hour , four minutes , and 38 seconds ( 01 : 04 : 38 ). Last year ‘ s winner in the men ‘ s category , Jeremia Shaliaxwe of NamPol , came second with a time of 01 : 06 : 50 , and Reinhold Thomas of NCS took the last podium place with a time of 01 : 07 : 56 . In the women ‘ s category , Haitope dominated her race , completing the women ‘ s event in a time of 01 : 16 : 37 . NCS runner Mar
tha Shivolo , who won last year ‘ s race , finished second with a time of 01 : 16 : 57 , ahead of the Namibian Defence Force ‘ s Alina Armas , who completed her race in 01 : 19 : 35 . In an interview with Nampa after the race , Daniel mentioned that this is the second time he has won the Navachab half – marathon . He expressed his excitement at being crowned the 2024 Navachab half – marathon champion . ‘ I enjoyed the run today . It was nice competing against the best as they pushed me throughout the race ,’ he said , adding that the new route and windy conditions in the morning provided a good challenge to the athletes . Meanwhile , Haitope told the agency that she used the half – marathon as preparation for the upcoming Cape Town marathon . ‘ The new route introduced this year provided good competition for the athletes . The steep hill at the start is challenging but I am grateful for being crowned champion this year ,’ she said . The winners of this year ‘ s championships in the 10km women ‘ s run are Hela
lia Johannes ( NDF ) in first place , Lucia Lyaalukeni ( NCS ) second , and Aina Beata Jeremiah in third place . In the men ‘ s category , Simon Paulus ( NCS ) finished first followed by Teofilus Lisias in second , and Thomas Shigwedha ( NCS ) in third spot . In an interview with Nampa after the race , Berthold Karumendu , the race director , and Sports Officer in the Ministry of Sport in the Erongo Region , expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the race . ‘ Our goal is to elevate this race to an international event . We hope to negotiate with Region Five to take over the race . This , in turn , will help in attracting more international athletes ,’ he said .

Source: The Namibia News Agency