- The 17th edition of the MTN Kampala Marathon kicked off this morning with the wheelchair race, ahead of the other races scheduled for Sunday 20th November 2022.
- Richard Ocira and Pauline Achai emerged winners in the men’s and the women’s 10km wheelchair race categories respectively. They each won Ugx.3M. The @nd and 3rdplace winners in both categories won Ugx.1.5 and Ugx.1 million shillings respectively.
- Register for the upcoming races scheduled for 20th November at a discounted rate via the MTN MoMo app or *165*77# or at an MTN Service center.
- Proceeds of the 2022 MTN Kampala marathon shall go towards kitting maternal and newborn facilities in four health centers across Uganda.
The long-awaited MTN Kampala Marathon kicked off this morning with the 10km wheelchair race, ahead of the other races scheduled for next Sunday, the 20th of November. The MTN Kampala Marathon has for many years led the way in promoting, endorsing, and showcasing the very best wheelchair race in the country since the inception of the marathon.
Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, amputees, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, and partially sighted (when combined with another disability). Like running, it can take place on a track or as a road race. (Source)
Unlike the previous (2019) MTN Kampala Marathon that featured the wheelchair race on the same day as the other races, this year, a special date was set for the wheelchair race as was the norm in the earlier marathons, to give the wheelchair race the prominence and recognition that it deserves.
Despite the early morning showers that hit Kampala this morning, the wheelchair race attracted 20 participants who were flagged off by UAF and MTN Uganda officials at the Lugogo by-pass for a 10KM race around Kololo, a Kampala suburb and back through Jinja Road to finish at the Lugogo by-pass.
Paul Okello the organizing secretary of the Uganda Athletics Federation expressed his excitement over the return of the MTN Kampala Marathon following a two-year break and thanked the participants who turned up for the wheelchair race.
“I thank the participants who turned up today for the wheelchair race and I would like to remind all the people with disabilities to take interest in this race as disability is not inability. We are also working towards acquiring more race wheelchairs as they are costly and a major hindrance to the people who would like to participate in this race,” Okello said.
Despite the early morning showers that hit Kampala this morning, the wheelchair race attracted 20 participants who were flagged off by UAF and MTN Uganda officials at the Lugogo by-pass for a 10KM race around Kololo, a Kampala suburb and back through Jinja Road to finish at the Lugogo by-pass.
Paul Okello the organizing secretary of the Uganda Athletics Federation expressed his excitement over the return of the MTN Kampala Marathon following a two-year break and thanked the participants who turned up for the wheelchair race.
“I thank the participants who turned up today for the wheelchair race and I would like to remind all the people with disabilities to take interest in this race as disability is not inability. We are also working towards acquiring more race wheelchairs as they are costly and a major hindrance to the people who would like to participate in this race,” Okello said.
The other races of the MTN Kampala Marathon, including the full marathon (42Km), half marathon (21Km), 10Km race and 5Km fun run will be held on Sunday 20th November starting at the Kololo independence grounds.
The MTN Marathon pledges to continue playing its role in connecting and uniting Ugandans to causes that make a difference in the lives of thousands (if not millions) across the country. The 2022 MTN Kampala Marathon is powered by Huawei, Stanbic Bank, Rwenzori, Vision Group, NBS Sport, the Kampala Capital City Authority-the host city and the Uganda Athletics Federation- the technical partners.
