4 Ugandan runners are set to compete within the Absa Marathon Zambia in Lusaka on September 26 after incomes the chance by their performances on the Absa KH3-7 Hills Run in Kampala.
Peter Akwech, Isaac Masaai, Sylvia Chelangat and Abate Tadelech secured the slots after ending first and second within the males’s and ladies’s 25-kilometre classes at this 12 months’s Absa KH3-7 Hills Run.
Absa Financial institution Uganda is sponsoring the athletes’ flights, lodging and different logistical necessities for his or her participation within the race, which is licensed by World Athletics.
The Absa Marathon Zambia options 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km classes and has attracted individuals from throughout Africa. The occasion has additionally develop into a platform for athletes to compete alongside elite runners from the continent and past.
Talking on the athletes’ flag-off ceremony in Kampala, Billy Bisanga, Head of Consumer and Digital Advertising and marketing at Absa Financial institution Uganda, stated the initiative was geared toward giving Ugandan runners a chance to achieve expertise in worldwide competitors.
“Peter, Isaac, Sylvia and Abate earned this chance by their distinctive performances on considered one of Kampala’s most difficult working programs,” Bisanga stated.
He stated the financial institution meant to proceed utilizing the KH3-7 Hills Run to create alternatives for runners whereas supporting the social targets related to the occasion.
Kenya Airways, the official airline companion facilitating the athletes’ journey to Zambia, additionally expressed help for the initiative.
Felix Mwangangi, Kenya Airways Nation Supervisor for Uganda, stated the airline was happy to facilitate the athletes’ journey as they symbolize Uganda on the regional competitors.
Alice Gita Okecho, Hash Grasp of the Kampala Hash Home Harriers, who spoke on behalf of the working neighborhood, congratulated the 4 athletes and inspired them to profit from the chance in Zambia.
The athletes’ participation in Zambia additionally extends the social-impact focus of the 2 Absa-branded working occasions.
In Uganda, proceeds from the Absa KH3-7 Hills Run help the Maintain a Lady in College initiative, which seeks to handle boundaries that may stop women from remaining at school. These embody challenges associated to menstrual well being and entry to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
The 2026 Absa Marathon Zambia, in the meantime, will help initiatives geared toward bettering entry to assistive expertise for individuals with disabilities.
The 4 Ugandan runners will compete in Lusaka on September 26 as a part of an initiative linking athletics with alternatives for regional competitors and social affect.
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