Long distance runners Mynhardt Kauanivi and Ndeshimona Ekandjo will represent Namibia at the second edition of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

The athletes were selected by Athletics Namibia (AN) from a pool of long distance runners who have represented the country at various events this year.

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (42,2 kilometres) is a prestigious global city race open to a wide range of running enthusiasts - from elite athletes to social runners.

Kauanivi and Ekandjo will form part of the 30 runners from all over Africa who will be hosted by Sanlam. This year's event will be held in Cape Town on 20 September 2015.

Speaking at a media conference in the capital on Wednesday, Sanlam Namibia's senior marketing and corporate communication officer Ilke Platt-Akwenye said Sanlam was proud to have representatives from Namibia at this year's event as this will play a significant role in developing sport in the country.

"This will be the first time Namibians are taking part in this event and as an organisation, we feel proud that we are making these athletes' dreams come true. It is important to have representatives from the country showcasing their talent with the best in Africa and flying the Namibian flag high," she said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Athletics Namibia president Alna Similo said companies that wish to invest in sport should see this gesture from Sanlam as a challenge.

"If Namibia as a country wants to see more Frank Fredericks and Agnes Samarias being developed, our athletes must be exposed more to international levels of competition both internally and outside our country.

"Our marathon runners are in most cases the ones who qualify for the elite competitions like the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and World Championships and we need more sponsors like Sanlam to continue investing in them," said Similo.

The two athletes representing the country said they are looking forward to the event as this will be another learning experience towards their dream of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Sanlam will sponsor the athletes' accommodation, flight tickets and registration fees at the event.

The winners of the Cape Town marathon in both the male and female category will walk away with N$250 000.

At last year's event, Biru Meseret of Ethopia won the women's category while Mungwe Nothando of Western Province Nedbank team won the men's category.