The Uganda Marathon

What’s Included In The Price?

An Unforgettable Week Long Adventure In Uganda:

• Race entry to the 10k, half or full marathon race on Saturday 1st June 2019
• *Don’t fancy running but everything else sounds great…why not join us a spectator? Have the best week of your life and then help other people across the finish line by cheering them on or helping out
• Subsidises FIFTEEN Ugandan junior runners to participate in the Race who otherwise could not afford to
• Donation to fund KidsRunWild event
• Pre-departure support including the Runner Handbook and support with everything from visas and booking flights, to fundraising
• Advice from and group training runs with our registered running coach
• Airport transfers
• 7 nights accommodation at Masaka’s best hotel, or at the beautiful Athletes’ Village with sensational views across rural Uganda
• 3 meals per day

All Daily Activities Including:

• Language & cultural lessons from our local staff
• See Your Legacy Days x 2 – hands on with local projects you’ve supported – connect with the people whose lives are changing thanks to  you’re fundraising
• Lake Nabugabo trip for swimming, fish & chips Uganda style, sports and more
• Day at the MVRC (Masaka Vocational Rehabilitation Centre), learning about challenges and hope of local disabled community
• Campfire evenings with 150 new friends
• Nightly entertainment at the Athletes’ Village and hotel: breakdancing, music, traditional drumming & dance and an evening at the local arts centre, with insightful talks from former street children-turned artists
• The KidsRunWild children’s fun & sports day
• Pre-race chill out day, with a choice of various activities, such as wandering into town, extra Charity Project visits, relaxing by the pool, Ugandan cooking lessons or talks by the local people
• Pre-race pool party & hotel afternoon to relax and recharge before Race Day
• Pre-race pasta party to get your glycogen stores up to the max before Race Day
• Pre-race medical briefing
• 24/7 emergency medical support from a team of UK doctors
• All core water stations & medical support
• Race t-shirt
• Stunning handmade finisher’s medal
• Post Race celebrations at Liberation Square
• Awesome After Party at the Athletes’ Village

It’s a beautiful, beautiful route. One lap for the half marathon, two laps for the full marathon. Half a lap for the 10k. Expect mainly off-road: hard baked, red African dirt roads, with a little bit of trail and a little bit of tarmac at the start and finish.

You will cross the start line at the convivial Liberation Square with plenty of whooping & cheering! Our 21k and 42k runners head out in the same direction, north of Masaka town. From there you will pass a bustling village called Ssaza and then up along a path to another village called Ndegeya. You’ll pass Bugabira (a school which the marathon is supporting) and likely by this point be joined by local children, running bare foot! You’ll then loop back through more villages with plenty of cheering, until you reach Masaka town again.

From there you’ll defeat The Beast (quite a hill!) and head up onto Pine Ridge, where you will be rewarded with unsurpassable views over rural Uganda. You’ll finish the 21k loop by running down a welcomed, gentle slope, all the way back into town. As the volume levels rise you’ll finish back where you started, at Liberation Square! Half marathon runners can rest and celebrate, while another loop for the full marathon runners awaits.

10K runners will start shortly after their counterparts, and follow the second half of the course. You will take on The Beast, gorge on all the views from Pine Ridge, and be cheered on by locals through Masaka town.

Expect mainly off-road: hard baked, red African dirt roads, with a little bit of trail and a little bit of tarmac at the start and finish. The surface is perfect for running when it’s dry, giving a cushioned and comfortable running surface. The marathon is taking place as the rainy season comes to an end, but the ground may still be wet in places.

The terrain is hilly, and the course includes some assents… but the views from the top are very much worth it! We’ll be at altitude of about 1150m. This isn’t in the bracket of serious altitude training (that starts at around 2000m) but you will likely notice a difference. Coming out beforehand for all the adventure will help you acclimatise a little, other than that our advice for best performance on the day is to stick to a good training plan before you come out, and/or just enjoy the experience!

The 7 day and 7 night itinerary for 2019 is yet to be confirmed but we will be looking to keep a similar structure to last year, just bigger, better and more fun!

• Arrivals will be welcome in Masaka from Sunday 26th May
• Activities will start from 9am Monday 27th May
• Race Day will be on Saturday 1st June
• Departures will be on Sunday 2nd June

Medical Conditions & Medication

We will have a team of UK ­trained medics and doctors on site, who are used to dealing with minor cuts and scrapes to preexisting medical conditions. If you are on any medication, please ensure you bring sufficient supplies of this with you to Uganda in case it is not easy to obtain replacements. If you have any allergies please inform us and bring any necessary medication.

Water Stations

We have plenty of water stations around the entire course. It may be a good idea to bring along a hydration pack (think Camelbak or similar, cheaper alternatives) to ensure you stay hydrated throughout. If you do, test it out before the day to make sure it’s comfortable and doesn’t bounce around or rub (imagine a chafing bag strap at mile 15!).

We strongly recommend bringing plenty of re-hydration salts with you to take the day before and the day of the race.

The 10k course has 2 water stations, the 21k has 5 and the 42k has 11. You can see the water stations clearly marked on the map at the bottom of our Race page. There is also a bottle for each runner at the finish line.

Water is provided in plastic bottles for easy drinking. The bottles will be collected during and after the race by Masaka Recycling Initiative, who work with the local community to recycle these.