The fifth Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon has ended on a high after producing record-breaking performances, international competition and a major showcase for Kasese’s tourism potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Held on August 22, 2026, the marathon marked a historic milestone after becoming Uganda’s first World Athletics Label Road Race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thousands of runners, spectators and visitors converged on Kasese for an event that combined elite athletics with tourism, entertainment and local business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the centre of the sporting action was Uganda’s Leonard Chemonges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chemonges won the men’s 42.2-kilometre marathon in an official World Athletics time of 2:13:25<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alex Mutai finished second in 2:13:36, while Fred Cherotwo took third in 2:13:49.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The all-Ugandan men’s podium highlighted the strength of Uganda’s distance-running talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kenya’s Margaret Jepchumba claimed the women’s marathon title in 2:39:15<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uganda’s Vanice Chemutai finished second in 2:43:32, while Joan Chebet took third in 2:44:08.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The women’s results therefore produced an international winner alongside two Ugandan podium finishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The half marathon provided another strong Ugandan performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abel Chebet won the men’s 21.1-kilometre race for the fourth time in five editions, finishing in about 1:02:00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam Yeko was second and Oscar Kibet third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gloria Chebet won the women’s half marathon in approximately 1:12:10, ahead of Prisca Chesang Chemweno and Viola Munerya Chemos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results capped an event that had already generated significant attention before race day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2026 edition carried World Athletics Label Road Race status, placing the event on the international athletics calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Preparations included official course measurement by World Athletics-certified measurer Gavin Wright and a detailed operational review covering hydration stations, marshal positions, transport, congestion points and the finish arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The marathon’s course remained one of its biggest attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 42.2-kilometre route begins at the Equator in Kikorongo, inside Queen Elizabeth National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runners then travel towards Kasese before heading into the Rwenzori foothills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The course has a maximum elevation of 1,200 metres above sea level and approximately 410 metres of elevation gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 21.1-kilometre course also takes runners into the Rwenzori foothills and has become known for its scenic character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event’s growing prize structure also contributed to its appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The total prize purse reached Shs252 million<\/strong> in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The men’s and women’s marathon winners each received Shs40 million, while half-marathon winners received Shs15 million each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The equal prize structure for men and women extended down the finishing positions, making the race one of the more significant prize-paying road events on Uganda’s athletics calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the impact of the marathon extended well beyond the winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ministry of Tourism said the event attracted thousands of runners, spectators and visitors and strengthened Kasese’s position as an international sports tourism destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tourism component was visible throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visitors had opportunities to explore Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Equator and the Rwenzori Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hotels, restaurants, transport providers, tour operators and other businesses benefited from the increased number of visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event therefore created an economic chain extending beyond the race route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the organisers, this is central to the marathon’s long-term vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The race is designed to combine healthy living, athlete development, tourism promotion and enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The World Athletics label gives the event an international sporting platform, while the scenery gives it a distinctive tourism identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2026 edition also demonstrated the potential of that combination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elite athletes competed for substantial prizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recreational runners participated in the 5km and 10km races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 21.1km event attracted competitive distance runners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And thousands of spectators and visitors joined the wider celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result was an event that was simultaneously a sporting competition, tourism campaign and business opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ministry of Tourism has described the marathon as a platform through which Uganda can market its landscapes, culture and hospitality to an international audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Kasese, that may be the marathon’s most important legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The town is increasingly becoming associated not only with the Rwenzori Mountains and Queen Elizabeth National Park, but also with an annual international sporting event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2026 edition therefore ended with more than winners and finishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It ended with a stronger international profile for Kasese, a new benchmark for Ugandan road running and another step towards establishing the Rwenzori Marathon among Africa’s leading destination races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As organisers look towards the sixth edition in 2027, the challenge will be to build on the momentum created by the historic fifth edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, Leonard Chemonges, Margaret Jepchumba and thousands of other runners have left their mark on a marathon that is rapidly becoming one of Uganda’s most distinctive sporting events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The fifth Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon has ended on a high after producing record-breaking performances, international competition and a major showcase for Kasese’s tourism potential. Held on August 22, 2026, the marathon marked a historic milestone after becoming Uganda’s first World Athletics Label Road Race. Thousands of runners, spectators and visitors converged on Kasese for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27988,"featured_media":43634,"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":[98],"tags":[10535,10570,10569,10568,9071],"class_list":["post-43633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-kasese-marathon","tag-leonard-chemonges","tag-margaret-jepchumba","tag-rwenzori-marathon-winners","tag-tusker-lite-rwenzori-marathon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43633","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\/27988"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43635,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43633\/revisions\/43635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}