MTN marathon: On your marks, get set..!

Nov 23, 2013

Close to 20,000 runners are expected for the 2013 editon of the MTN Kampala marathon when it is flagged off at 7am Sunday.

By James Bakama
 
KAMPALA - Close to 20,000 runners are expected for the 2013 editon of the MTN Kampala marathon when it is flagged off today (Sunday) morning at 7.00am local time.
 
Inspector General of Police General Kale Kayihura will be the chief runner. He will lead a police team of senior officers in the corporate challenge.
 
 
Police athletics club’s side, led by world mountain running gold medalist Abdallah Mande, is also one of the favourites for the sh1.5m winners prize in the 10km event.
 
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesman Ibn Senkumbi recently assured participants that security would be tight.
 
With the terrorism threats that have lately had Uganda on high alert, organisers of the marathon are leaving nothing to chance.
 
To assure the public that all is well, police has not only deployed heavily, but will also have a strong presence in the marathon proper. 
 
Speaking at the marathon’s launch recently, Senkumbi also assured everyone that the roads would this time be clear.
 
It has previously been a nightmare particularly running in the crowded 10km event. You had to compete for space with cyclists, vehicles, pedestrians and spectators.
 
It can be very inconveniencing to have such a chaotic course. Besides the accident threats, crucial time is lost in negotiating your way through the chaos. “We shall this time completely cordon off the entire route,” stressed Senkumbi adding rehearsals to ensure a secure event have been ongoing.
 
There can’t be better news than a clear road. Cheats have on several occasions taken advantage of the confusion to ride on motorcycles in their quest for good positions. 
 
With a secure race, such drama could be history. All is set!
 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});