Abel Chebet strengthened his status as one of the most successful runners in the history of the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon after winning the men’s 21.1-kilometre race for the fourth time in five editions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chebet completed the 2026 half marathon in about 1:02:00<\/strong>, narrowly defeating fellow Ugandan runner Sam Yeko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oscar Kibet finished third, giving Uganda an all-Ugandan podium in the men’s half marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Post-race reports put Chebet’s winning time at approximately 1:02:00, with Yeko at 1:02:02 and Kibet at 1:02:44.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The victory further established Chebet as a dominant figure in the Rwenzori Half Marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His latest success means he has won four of the five editions of the race, a record that places him at the centre of the event’s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The half marathon is known as the Kilembe Half Marathon and takes participants towards the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the official race organisers, the 21.1-kilometre course has a maximum elevation of 1,200 metres above sea level and an elevation gain of 270 metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The route is also internationally certified by World Athletics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike the full marathon, which begins around the Equator, the half marathon starts in Kasese town before joining the marathon route during its final section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That allows runners to experience the mountainous part of the event without taking on the full 42.2-kilometre distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The organisers have promoted the half marathon as one of the world’s scenic road races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The route’s combination of urban Kasese, mountain foothills and the Rwenzori backdrop has become one of its biggest attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chebet’s victory came during a particularly important edition of the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2026 event was Uganda’s first World Athletics Label Road Race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The international designation strengthened the credibility of all the major competitive categories and gave the event greater exposure among international runners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Chebet, however, the challenge remained the same: cover the 21.1 kilometres faster than his competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He did exactly that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam Yeko pushed him closely, finishing just two seconds behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oscar Kibet was also within striking distance, completing the race in approximately 1:02:44.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The narrow margins demonstrated the competitiveness of Uganda’s distance-running field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The women’s half marathon was also won by a Ugandan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gloria Chebet took the women’s title in approximately 1:12:10<\/strong>, ahead of Prisca Chesang Chemweno and Viola Munerya Chemos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results gave Uganda strong representation in both half-marathon categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The financial rewards added another incentive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2026 event allocated Shs15 million to each half-marathon winner, while second and third places also received substantial prize money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The organisers maintained equal prize money for men and women, with payments extending down the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The growing profile of the half marathon also contributes to the wider sports tourism ambitions of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participants who travel to Kasese for the 21.1-kilometre race are exposed to many of the same attractions that draw visitors to the full marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rwenzori Mountains provide the visual backdrop, while Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Equator and other western Uganda attractions offer opportunities for extended visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For local businesses, that means the economic benefits of the marathon are not restricted to elite competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recreational runners and their supporters also require accommodation, meals, transport and other services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event has therefore created a platform where elite sport and mass participation operate alongside tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chebet’s fourth half-marathon victory adds another layer to that story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His repeated success gives the race a recognisable sporting personality while demonstrating the depth of Uganda’s distance-running talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the Rwenzori Marathon looks towards future editions, Chebet’s record will provide a benchmark for the next generation of competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, the Kasese roads remain his territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Four victories in five editions make Abel Chebet one of the defining champions of the Rwenzori Marathon \u2014 and his latest 21.1-kilometre triumph ensures that his name will remain closely associated with the event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Abel Chebet strengthened his status as one of the most successful runners in the history of the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon after winning the men’s 21.1-kilometre race for the fourth time in five editions. Chebet completed the 2026 half marathon in about 1:02:00, narrowly defeating fellow Ugandan runner Sam Yeko. Oscar Kibet finished third, giving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":43628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[10563,10564,10565,10562,119],"class_list":["post-43627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-21km-rwenzori-marathon","tag-abel-chebet-2026","tag-kasese-half-marathon","tag-rwenzori-half-marathon-winner","tag-uganda-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27983"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43627"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43629,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43627\/revisions\/43629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}