FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WITH PICTURES
MAY 6, 2025

KANSANSHI MARATHON 2025: A TRIUMPH OF UNITY, HEALTH, AND INCLUSION – GOVT

SOLWEZI, ZAMBIA – The 2025 Kansanshi Marathon has been hailed as a resounding success, attracting over 2,300 runners and marking a significant 40 percent increase in participation from the previous year.

The event, which was organised by FQM’s Kansanshi Mining in partnership with the business community, was the largest-ever participation in a sporting event in North Western Province, and attracted runners of all ages from Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, as well as all over Zambia. This year’s marathon race categories included the 42.2km, 21.1km, and 10km races, as well as a 5km fun run.

Officiating the event, North-Western Province Minister Robert Lihefu underscored the importance of the marathon beyond athletics, saying: “This event is more than just a race. It is a celebration of unity, health, community development, and meaningful partnerships. It demonstrates how sport brings us together and inspires us to build stronger, healthier communities.

“Kansanshi Mining and all its partners deserve special recognition for creating a platform that continues to grow in size, prestige, and community impact. And this year’s marathon is especially historic as it has introduced two new categories for wheelchair users and for persons with disability on foot in the five-kilometre race. This step towards inclusion is both commendable and long overdue. I’m particularly moved by the fact that 28 individuals with disabilities registered and have participated at no cost,” he said.

Mr Lihefu further highlighted the broader benefits of sport, recognising it as a powerful tool for promoting physical health, mental well-being, discipline, and national unity, particularly crucial in an era of rising lifestyle diseases and stress levels.

“Kansanshi Mine has shown tremendous vision in its ongoing support for sports. Beyond the marathon, the company has invested in football, athletics, netball, cycling, and more. This level of commitment to sports development is a true work of national recognition,” he continued.

Speaking at the same event, Kansanshi Mining Assistant General Manager Axel Kottgen explained the company’s motivation for supporting the marathon, saying it went beyond mining operations to focus on people, and that it was about people’s health and as well as their well-being.

He highlighted concerns about rising obesity, diabetes, declining mental health, and drug use, identifying running as an accessible solution.

“Sports alone cannot solve all problems, but it can be part of the solution. The dream was to make Solwezi an active city, to build a culture that inspires people to get up, get out and invest in their own health through physical exercise. I’ve done more exercise over the last three weeks than I’ve done for a long time.

So, I think this marathon is really working. The popularity of running in Solwezi has grown amongst the young, the old and everyone in between. Sport has the power to unite, it breaks down bias,” said Mr Kottgen.

Zambia Athletics president Major Bernard Bwalya gave the Kansanshi Marathon a “10 out of 10” rating, praising the well-marked routes, water points, and enthusiastic support.

He expressed the ambition to elevate the Kansanshi Marathon to a World Athletics Road Race label, attracting international participants and providing a qualifying event for major global competitions.

“We now as Zambia Athletics, we want these races that we are organising not only to be a show of participation, fitness and including healthy awareness, but we want these events to be qualifying events for our athletes. Kansanshi Marathon organisers, we are challenging you.

Let’s work together and see how best we can turn this Kansanshi Marathon into a World Athletics Road Race label, where we can have even participants from other countries to come and qualify from here. Imagine how nice it would be to have an athlete running in World Championship Olympics to say they qualified from the Kansanshi Marathon,” he continued.

-Ends-


About First Quantum Minerals Ltd 
First Quantum Minerals Ltd is a global metals and mining company producing mainly copper, gold and nickel. The company’s assets are in Zambia, Spain, Mauritania, Australia, Finland, Turkey, Panama, Argentina and Peru.
In 2024, First Quantum globally produced 431,000 tonnes of copper, 139,000 ounces of gold and 24,000 tonnes of nickel.
In Zambia it operates the Kansanshi mine and smelter in Solwezi, and the Sentinel copper mine and the Enterprise nickel mine in Kalumbila.
The company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
http://www.first-quantum.com/

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