Elgon Half Marathon takes bold stand against GBV in honor of Rebecca Cheptegei

The Sebei sub-region districts are still grieving the demise of marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei.

The former elite long-distance runner was buried on on September 14 in her home district of Bukwo after she had succumbed to burns following a domestic attack with her partner Dickson Ndiema Marangach in Eldoret, Kenya early this month.

This act of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has sparked debate and conversation, spiraling beyond Cheptegei’s success earned on track and road over the past 11 years.

Rebecca had shared her relationship challenges with new 10,000-metre Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei while in the national team camp before they departed for the Paris Olympics in France. The deceased and Joshua are not related. But the latter in honour of the former, is applying the fight against GBV when his organisation - the Joshua Cheptegei Development Foundation (JOCDEF) - stages the second Elgon Half-Marathon in Mbale on November 2.

“Of course, we want a safer environment, a safer community where women feel safe in their day-to-day activities, not only in Sebei but the whole country and world,” said Cheptegei after the event was launched at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offices in Kampala on September 18.

“My last interaction with Rebecca was at the training camp just a month before the Olympics and she was interactive and had opened up, especially with what was going on with her life.

“I offered her guidance; I thought that we would do so much to help her and it was short-lived coming back from the games. We had better plans to work closely with her to mitigate it but unfortunately, we were not able to touch base again,” three-time Olympic medallist Cheptegei said.

UNDP resident representative Nwanne Vwede-Obahor dedicated a moment of silence for Rebecca, who had finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the Paris Games.

“Some practices must be eliminated in our modern society. GBV is between men, women, boys, girls and is all about who welds power in society. In the struggle for this, it results in GBV,” said Kween Woman MP Rose Emma Cherukut.

“In Sebei tradition where both Joshua Cheptegei and I come from, women have historically not owned property like land. But with women’s emancipation courtesy of the government, there is a small shift where we now see women entering men’s space,” she added.

The Elgon Marathon by JOCDEF and lead partner UNDP is in its second year and each footstep of the 5km, 10km and 21km races on Mountain Elgon National Park in November is to address the intersectionality of climate change and conservation around the Elgon region and GBV.

“Climate change affects us all, but its impact is felt disproportionately by the most vulnerable. We must work together to reduce emissions, invest in renewable energy, and safeguard our ecosystems,” added Cheptegei, the world record holder over the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres.

“Our environment needs to be conserved for sustainable livelihoods,” UNDP’s Vwede-Obahor said while announcing their partnership with the event.

“It is quite admirable that we have people who have talent. But what Joshua has done is to use his talent for his community. Where I come from, we only know you when what you have done has come down to your community,” Ms Vwede-Obahor added.

Nation Media Group (NMG) has joined the cause as a media partner.

“At NMG, we are committed to a vision of reducing carbon emissions by 2027 and therefore supporting this marathon is just one of the many ways we are taking deliberate steps toward fulfilling our sustainability goals,” said NMG brand manager Joshua Jaafa Watwaluma.

Stakeholders

The Elgon Half-Marathon has also been supported by other organisations, including the Tourism and Gender ministries, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Food and Agricultural Organisation (Fao), Uganda Wildlife Authority (Uwa), National Forestry Authority (NFA), National Environmental Management Authority (Nema), Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido).

“Climate change is real, it is one of the most critical things of our lifetime,” State minister for Youth and Children Affairs Balaam Barugahara remarked.

“Initiatives like the Elgon run, supported by the Jocdef can amplify the message of environmental conservation while encouraging communities to protect and sustain Mt Elgon,” said Fao Country Representative, Dr Antonio Querido.

The event, which is set to attract hundreds of runners from the Sebei districts of Bukwo, Kapchorwa, and Kween, has other partners; Infinix, Amref Health Africa, Infinix, Stanbic Bank, Total Energies, Uganda Airlines, Hima Cement, Crown Beverages and Nile Breweries.

Some runners from the previous JOCDEF events have since begun reaping fruit for Uganda, such as Loice Chekwemoi, Keneth Kiprop and Charity Cherop.

The trio won medals at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru last month and Cheptegei hopes to contribute to the future of Uganda’s athletics by unearthing more talent in Mbale. 

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