TANGA Regional Athletics Association (TRAA) has pledged to provide maximum support for this year's Tanga City Marathon Season 8 slated for September 22.

The association's leaders stressed they are eager to ensure the race is organized smoothly, doing away with challenges that arose during last year's edition.

Some of the challenges that came about in last year's edition included the failure of organizers to hand over medals and prizes to some of the participating runners.

Sophia Wakati, the regional athletics body's chairperson, made such a revelation while addressing the media here in the city.

Among the issues, she outlined the need for organizers to follow all marathon procedures and preparations.

They include all procedures set by Athletics Tanzania, the National Sports Council of Tanzania (NSC), and the Regional Sports Office.

She pointed out: "We, this time around, need to ensure that this year's race is efficient and better than past ones because of its potential to our region.”

Sophia insisted: "The showdown has a positive impact on both sports and economy and that is why we decided to include it in the regional athletics calendar."

Tanga City Marathon Season 8 has been slated to take place in Tanga on September 22, with participants featuring in three races - 21km, 10km, and 5 kilometers Fun Run.

The regional athletics body disclosed that all registration procedures for the race are done online.