In the recent past, marathons have become a great way to create awareness and fundraise for noble causes. In Kampala, they fill up a sizeable chunk of the years’ social calendar and attract both professional and “social” runners. You might be wondering who the social runners are, well, they are people like me. We believe in most causes and never miss out on any marathon. However, training for the marathons is not part of our plan. We just show up and hit the road. The most recent one was the Wildlife Marathon organised by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in honour of the World Wildlife Day. If you are like me, then this post is for you. Here are my top five tips to keep the marathon fun and light;
- Look out for preceding activities
In this case, the marathon was preceded by a tourism expo. The expo was held at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel and attracted people from all walks of life. In line with the theme of the marathon (supporting survival of the big cats) the major attractions at the expo were the big cats found in Uganda.
2. Catch the sunrise
Marathons in Kampala always start as early as 6:30 am. It’s done this way to avoid the scorching heat later in the day. This means you will be up early and well positioned to catch a magical morning sky or sunrise. Don’t miss it!
3. Do a few stretches
Lucky for me, a 30-minutes warm up was organised to get adrenaline pumping and muscles relaxed. However, the long speeches that followed successfully undid all the magic. Why do politicians always ruin things? Why?
4. Enjoy the road-side entertainment
In our case it was acrobats and traditional dancers lined up at strategic points to keep us motivated. Stop, strike a diva pose and keep running.
5. Wrap it up with breakfast like a boss
To crown it off, I had breakfast at Holy Crepe. It wasn’t just the crepes, or the smoothie, but the commanding view of the city. Taking in that view and knowing I had run (mostly walked) through several of those busy roads, gave me instant gratification. Felt like a champ!
See you at the next marathon.
Cheers!
Saw Bizzy 
The crepes look awesome!
It’s was an Interesting combo of crepe and bacon. The dipping sauce is the same used for sushi. I’ll take you there next time you’re in town !
This is nice Sarah!!! i read from the beginning t the end…………………i never do this:) You have always been a good story teller
Looking forward to the next post
Hi, glad you enjoyed it. As you wait for the next post, you can check out the older posts.
Thanks for the love