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Marathons join forces
Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon’s Amos Wekesa, Rotary Cancer Run’s Michael Niyitegeka and UBL’s Patience Aguti show off the Cancer Run kit. PHOTO/EMANZI NDYAMUHAKI
What you need to know:
This year, the Rwenzori Marathon introduced a new 10km route alongside the popular 5km, 21km and 42km races to offer fresh challenges for all levels of runners.
The weekend of August 24-25 will see marathon enthusiasts hit two birds with one stone in Kasese, with two events separated by a couple of hours.
Runners will have the opportunity to take part in both marathons as the two organizing groups have formed a coalition, uniting their resources and audiences for a common cause.
The Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon, known for promoting health, athlete support, talent discovery, and climate change awareness in the Rwenzori region, has joined forces with the Rotary Cancer Run, which has been instrumental in fundraising for cancer treatment and awareness for over a decade.
Now entering its third edition, the Rwenzori Marathon will take place on August 24 in Kasese while the Cancer Run is scheduled for 25, the next day and will take place across different regions in the whole country.
At a press briefing held at the Rotary Cancer Run offices in Muyenga on Tuesday, Amos Wekesa, representative of the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon, said, "We are excited to join hands with the Rotary Cancer Run. Together, we can make a real difference for Ugandans’ health and well-being. This partnership shows we're all in on promoting health and helping those affected by cancer."
The partnership, according to the two groups, aims at leveraging the strengths of both organizations to maximize outreach and fundraising efforts, with the immediate goal for this year’s Cancer Run being to contribute to the establishment of a Cancer Centre in Nsambya.
With a funding gap of Shs9b, the Rotary Cancer Run targets to raise at least Shs3b this year, with the participation of over 60,000 runners nationwide and internationally.
"There are 35,000 new cases of cancer in Uganda annually, with 22,000 resulting in death due to late diagnosis. Our partnership with the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon is a significant step towards combating this disease and achieving our goal of establishing a Cancer centre in Nsambya by 2027," Michael Niyitegeka, Chairman of the Rotary Cancer Run 2024, revealed.
The Cancer Run takes the Rwenzori Marathon 5km and 10km routes, which take runners through the streets of Kasese town with the breathtaking Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop.
Runners have been encouraged to use the Cancer Run as a recovery session the morning after taking part in the Rwenzori Marathon.
Patience Aguti, Project Manager UBL said, “The Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon, known for promoting sports tourism and economically empowering the Kasese region is joining forces with the Rotary Cancer Run, which has been instrumental in fundraising for cancer treatment and awareness for over a decade. By combining our resources and expertise, we are prepared to create a more impactful and meaningful experience for all participants.”
This year, the Rwenzori Marathon introduced a new 10km route alongside the popular 5km, 21km and 42km races to offer fresh challenges for all levels of runners.
Now certified by World Athletics, the event is expected to attract elite runners from all over the world.
Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon
Date: August 25, 2024
Venue: Kasese
Categories: 5km, 10km, 21km, 42km
Rotary Cancer Run
Date: August 25, 2024
Venue: Across Uganda
Categories: 5km, 10km
