By: Hee-Dee Walenga
Nedbank Namibia hosted the 5th Nedbank Citi Dash on Sunday morning in Windhoek. Over 2,500 runners of all ages and abilities competed in the increasingly popular event.
Nedbank Namibia’s Communication and PR Manager, Selma Kaulinge, spoke on the growth of the running culture to The Villager after the competition. “If you live in Windhoek, you can see the running culture. Every morning, dawn, and sunset, we see people taking on the streets of Windhoek from Katutura to Klein Windhoek. It’s a truly inclusive event, we had people from all walks of life coming to run this year,” Kaulinge stated.
Winner of the wheelchair/visually impaired category, Roodly Gowaseb, told The Villager, “Nedbank is opening doors for wheelchair races. It allows us to showcase our talent.” Gowaseb has been a participant of the Citi Dash since its inception and earned a N$3,000 cash prize for his 2025 victory.
Overall, over N$200,000 worth of cash prizes were up for grabs at this year’s Citi Dash. Elite men’s and women’s winners, Daniel Paulus and Lavinia Haitope, each walked away with N$12,000. Paulus was the only runner to complete the 10km haul under 30 minutes, crossing the finish line with an impressive time of 29 minutes and 19 seconds.
As at previous editions, the event had a ‘fun’ category for the 5 and 10 kilometre races, where runners of all ages had a chance to win lucky draw prizes worth N$100,000.
The 2025 edition of the Citi Dash was the first time the event had a ‘veteran’ category. The men’s veteran category was won by Paulus Iiyambo. Alina Armas took home the title for the women’s veteran category. Both winners walked away with a N$3,000 cash prize.
On the youth side, 16-year-old Matt-Reece Izaaks claimed the U18 men’s title for a third consecutive year, with Elizabeth Kalola taking the U18 women’s title. The young runners each received an N$8,000 cash prize.
