Nthatuoa Koeshe
ENTERTAINMENT outfit Oh Aces Events and Tours is set to host the Corporate Triathlon Weekend from 26 to 28 April 2019.
The triathlon will start at Thaba Bosiu Cultural village and finish at Kome Caves.
Founder and director of the event, Kananelo Masia told the Weekender that the event consists of running, swimming and cycling and the participants who cannot swim or cycle will be allowed to run or engage in other activities that will be charged separately.
“After carefully working on the logistics of the event, we concluded that the event will not have people running on top of the Thaba Bosiu Fortress but rather, a guided tour as this event also promotes domestic tourism,” Masia said.
He said a lot of Basotho have lost their cultural ways and this event is meant to tap into their sub-conscience and remind them who they are.
He explained that on the first day, the activities will start with a guided tour starting at the Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village going up the Thaba Bosiu plateau to the fortress, passing the royal graves, royal houses, and royal court. The participants will then descend to Qiloane Mountain where the running will start connecting with the main road to Metolong dam, where the activities of the first day will end after covering a distance of 20km.
“Day two is a fun filled day a day at the dam where we will have a swimming relay at the Metolong dam while the third day is a cycling day, which will start at the Metolong Dam going over the footbridge heading to Kome Caves where we will be finishing the event after 25km.”
Masia said the communities of Thaba Bosiu, Metolong and Kome Caves will also benefit from this three-day activity.
“There will be 300 boxes of sanitary pads which will be split evenly among the two primary areas being Metolong dam and Sefikeng located at Sehlabeng sa Thuathe and each box contains 48 packs of pads,” he said.
He said a total of 14 400 pads will be donated to disadvantaged girls in the areas where the event will take place.
Masia further noted that area chiefs and the identified families of the neighbouring villages will accept the gifts on behalf of the winning teams.
He said with the assistance of the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC), who have been working tirelessly training Basotho on homestays, they will facilitate accommodation, traditional foods, breakfast, water points, lunch and dinner for all participants. These will be catered for by the M10 000 (for a group of five) fee paid by the participants.
“The event will be fun because participants can also invite their families and friends to come as spectators. There will be spot prizes for the participants which include Sanitary Towels which will be donated to the communities of Thaba Bosiu and Sentebale Charity, Sefikeng High School and neighbouring villages within a 50km radius of the Metolong dam,” he said.
He said despite Thaba Bosiu and Kome Caves having carrying some of the country’s most significant history, a lot of people are letting it fade away
“Thaba Bosiu is an iconic of the land of Basotho but most locals do not know anything about it. At Kome Kome Caves there is a small community that still lives in the caves to date and the rich culture and history they know will leave one agape,” he said.
He said the rich history in the two paces largely inspired the model of the event.
