Fitness fun at Crayfish Festival in Lüderitz

Road running, cycling and a fun walk formed part of the fitness-driven activities at the 19th edition of the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival in the harbour town on Saturday 2 May. 

Forty participants entered the 10 km run with the starting point at Aeroplane Beach and the runners proceeding to Agate Beach and back. Paulus Amadhila, who hails from Lüderitz, was the fastest in the 10km category, winning in a time of 41:42. “I enjoyed the race. The weather played along, and the competition was tough,” he said after crossing the finishing line. 

Josua Shokoshi finished second with a time of 41min:55sec, and Valentin Pitiot took third place with a time of 42:29. Mwetuvaya Nghiiki from Windhoek was the fastest female runner in the 10km category. She finished the race in a time of 58min:19sec. “It was quite a nice race, being coldish at the start and then heating up as we went along. I live in Windhoek, so I am used to the hills,” she said. Anuk Bosman finished second in a time of 1h 18s, and Felicity Perry came third with a time of 1h:13min.

Cycling: Keanen Feris won the 25km cycling event.

He completed the distance from Aeroplane Beach to the t-junction at the Griffiths Bay turn-off and back in a time of 1h:05m. Feris, who is originally from Windhoek and resides in Lüderitz, said he had a good race. “The route was nice and included three very demanding hills. The marshals and waterpoints were also on point. The race was well organised. I started cycling a year ago after friends persuaded me to take up cycling, which is mentally rewarding and keeps me fit," he said. 

George Dongula finished second in a time of 1h:25min, and Victor Gowaseb clinched third place with a time of 1:30 min.  

Siegfried Salesius won the 50km race in a time of 1h:37min, followed by Manuel Geiger with a time of 1h:39min:52sec in second position and last year's winner Lukas Lukas in third position with a time of 1h:45min. 

Forty-six fitness fanatics pitched for the 5km walk, with Trevor Lukas (12) completing the event in a time of 39 minutes. 

The organiser of the event, Uushona Shilongo, expressed his satisfaction and thanked the sponsors who made it possible. “I am happy with the number of people that came out and participated. We want the numbers to grow. The event was enjoyable, and the weather was perfect. There were no incidents, and we are looking forward to introducing a half marathon (21km) next year,” he said.

All participants received medals. The respective winners of the running and cycling events pocketed N$700 each, the second-place finishers earned N$400, and those that finished in 3rd position received N$200 each.

The Motor Spinning Fest held at the old golf course on Sunday, 3 May, was also well attended. Hosted by Team Kyle, the high-energy event brought together horsepower and the community for an electrifying showcase of spinning, drifting, and automotive skills with six driving crews and their vehicles in action.