How Chemonges and Japchumba won the 5th Rwenzori Marathon in Kasese

Three months ago, Leonard Chemonges began intensive training for this year’s Tusker Lite Mt. Rwenzori Marathon after placing tenth in the Daegu Marathon in South Korea in February, with a time of 2:14:33.

His efforts paid off in Kasese on Saturday, where the Uganda Wildlife Authority Athletics Club's Chemonges won the 5th Rwenzori Marathon with a new course record of 2:13:25, improving on his fourth-place finish in 2024, which he finished in 2:15:50.

Last year he finished eighth in 2:27:57 in the annual event which has maintained its legacy of creating opportunities, supporting economic growth, promoting environmental awareness, and enhancing both domestic tourism and international recognition.

Chemonges, 35, who trains with Jacob Kiplimo in Kween District, finished ahead of compatriots Alex Mutai (2:13:36) and Fred Cherwoto (2:13:49) by 11 and 24 seconds, respectively, earning sh40m in prize money and a brand-new Spiro electric motorcycle as he won his first marathon in five years. Mutai and Cherwoto received sh20m and sh10m for their podium finishes.

“I feel good to have won this race. I woke up feeling good, and the race was good. I started preparations three months ago, and now I can buy land or cows with this money,” Chemonges said.

“I kept on pushing with the leading pack, and after 36km I still felt good and relaxed thereafter.” Chemonges ran the first 10 km in 00:31:49 and got to the 21 km mark in 01:07:11 before cruising to victory.

Kenyan Margaret Japchumba, 45, from Kapsabet, who is fresh from a strong second-place finish in the 56km Two Oceans Ultra Marathon (April 2026) in Cape Town, was also better in the women’s field, coming first in 02:39:15 ahead of Ugandans Vanis Chemutai (02:43:32) and Joan Chebet (02:44:08). She also earned sh40m and a Spiro electric motorcycle, with Chemutai and Chebet taking home sh20m and sh10m each.

The Ugandan ladies: Gloria Chebet (01:12:10), Prisca Chesang Chemweno (01:12:24) and Viola Chemos Munerya (01:12:34), who made a 1, 2, 3 finish, also took home the same amounts of cash respectively. The top three in the 10km race were Selevester Karumu (31:42), Denis Opio (31:51) and Goliath Turyasingura (31:55), as well as Daphine Kasembo (41:30), Rose Katusiime (46:34) and Bridget Kyomugisha (46.35) in the men’s and women’s categories respectively.

Sandra Againe, the Brand Manager for Tusker Lite at Uganda Breweries, said it was gratifying to witness the growth of the running culture in Uganda.

“This is a huge deal for the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon and for Uganda as a whole. We have people here from over 40 countries, and Ugandans who have traveled from all over the country to be here for one reason: this marathon,” Againe said. “We have been working tirelessly, losing sleep, to ensure everyone is here, feeling excited, and ready to run without any issues. Security is also well taken care of. Seeing everyone here, happy, excited, and everything going according to plan is incredibly fulfilling for me.

“This is possibly the biggest one yet, marking the fifth year of the marathon. Our journey with Tusker Lite has spanned five years. When we first started this marathon, we had 800 participants. Now, five years later, we're seeing over 8,000 runners. As a brand, this is incredibly rewarding because we've been a part of the running culture for a long time,” Againe stated.

The chief runner, State Sports Minister Peter Ogwang, said it was great to see more elite athletes participating after the increase in prize money.

“As the Ministry of Education and Sports, this was a key area for our partnership plan with the organisers: to draw in more top athletes. Secondly, we aimed to get this marathon officially recognised by World Athletics. I'm thrilled that World Athletics provided live coverage for the first time, which is a significant achievement for us,” Ogwang said.

“I personally ran the 10km race. The welcome and hospitality we runners received from the local community were absolutely incredible. I want to give a huge shout-out to the people of Kasese Municipality and the Rwenzori region; you did an outstanding job. I also want to thank everyone who participated. It's one thing to show up, but it's another to do it with such passion.” All registered participants, no matter which race they were in, showed great enthusiasm. Others got the opportunity to work out and boost their personal health. The event was well organised, and I want to praise Amos Wekesa for his close collaboration with the government. This also involved coordination with the Ministry of Tourism, Welfare, and Antiquities, as well as the internal security agencies.”

Results

42km

Leonard Chemonges: 2:13:25

Alex Mutai: 2:13:36

Fred Cherwoto: 2:13:49

Women

Margaret Japchumba: 02:39:15

Vanis Chemutai: 02:43:32

Joan Chebet: 02:44:08

21km

Abel Chebet: 01:02:00

Sam Yeko: 01:02:02

Oscar Kibet: 01:02:44

Women

Gloria Chebet: 01:12:10

Pricilla C. Chemweno: 01:12:24

Chemos Viola: 01:12:34