The 2025 edition of Lake Malawi Sailing Marathon has kicked off Monday at Cape Maclear in Mangochi with dozens of local and international sailors taking part in the marathon.
The six-day marathon, which is scheduled to conclude at Chintheche in Nkhata Bay district, is organised to, among others, promote Lake Malawi as a tourist destination site.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the event, one of the organisers, Harald Hildermann expressed excitement with the number of sailors taking part in this year’s marathon.
“We are happy with the number of participants taking part in this year’s marathon though a lot of them are international participants,” he said.
Hildermann implored the country’s hospitality sector to support the event, saying if well supported, the marathon has the potential to boost tourism.
“We are calling hospitality players to take advantage of the Lake Malawi Sailing Marathon and market it properly because through that, Malawi can become one of Africa’s top tourism destination sites,” said Hildermann.
Hildermann, who is Nkhotakota Pottery Lodge Manager also praised the event, saying it presents an opportunity for Nkhotakota to be on the map.
One of the participants, Raymond Victor, has expressed delight with how the marathon has started, but he was quick to register his disappointment over low local involvement.
“As participants, we are also appealing for financial support so that the marathon can become more relevant,” he said.
The marathon is an adventure that takes participants along Lake Malawi from Cape Maclear in the Southern Region to Chintheche in the Northern Region.
Through the marathon, sailors are tested for both sailing skills and endurance.
The race has returned after years due to logical challenges to organise the event.
