FORMER Zimbabwe middle-distance runner Letiwe Marakurwa launched her book titled Running to America: An Athlete Journey from Zimbabwe at the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee offices in Harare yesterday
The book details Marakurwa’s journey to becoming one of the top budding athletes in Zimbabwe until she got an Olympic training scholarship to go to the United States in 1997.
As a young girl living in Zimbabwe, Marakurwa discovered she had a talent in running.
She joined a local track club, mentored by a dedicated coach and entered the world of cross country track competition.
Her meteoric rise was a surprise, but it was not without sacrifice and she became the Junior Women Cross Country champion of Zimbabwe.
At the age of 18 and with the goal of becoming a world-class athlete, Marakurwa flew to the United States after getting a scholarship.
“I decided to write a book because when I left Zimbabwe, I went through so many rough patches in my life,” she said.
“So, with my talent of running, I just knew I had a special story to tell and it took me so long to decide to write the book.”
Marakurwa added: “But a friend of mine, Rebecca, who stays in the United States and who also helped me to edit my book, encouraged me to write the book. I started writing some rough drafts and before I knew it, the book was out. It became a reality and I wanted to inspire not only the athletes, but everyone.”
The book is available online and on Amazon.
Marakurwa encouraged other athletes to also focus on their academics so that they can get scholarships.
“The athletes should focus on both running and academics in order to make it and get a scholarship because most of the athletes are struggling on academics,” she said.
“They are focusing on one thing, which is athletics and neglecting academics. This reduces the opportunities available to them.”