KENYAN ATHLETES TAKE THE HONOURS AGAIN AT THE MTN KAMPALA MARATHON
(Posted 23rd November 2015)
Kampala’s highest profile sporting event, the MTN Marathon, which is also leading in terms of sponsorships from a broad section of Uganda’s corporates, was run yesterday. The city, especially along the 42+ kilometre route, was as usual painted in yellow when the more than 20.000 runners got their starting signal at the Kololo Independence Grounds.
It was, as has almost become the norm, an event in which Kenyan runners in the male full distance race took a first and second place double while in the ladies full race did they complete a one, two, three finish, carrying their prize money back home with them across the border. Eliud Cheptei claimed the winner’s medal while compatriot Joseph Biwott came home second closely followed by Uganda’s Peter Kibet who came in third.
Apart from these almost semiprofessional races however has the MTN Marathon over the years managed to draw in fund raising groups and teams, which run for a good cause or just for fun, taking part in the lesser races of 5 kilometres, 10 kilometres or the half marathon.
The event was taking place just days before the highly anticipated visit of Pope Francis whose last stop on his present Africa Tour will be in Uganda from the 27th to the 29th of November. The tight security provided for the race was seen as both a dress rehearsal for the country’s security services as well as serving notice that Uganda is taking no chances given the present high state of alert around the world following the attacks in Beirut and Paris.
