Elgon Half-Marathon deepens conversation about life

Emerging elite athletes, Mande Kibet and Belinda Chemutai won the men and women’s categories respectively, of the Elgon half-marathon second edition over the weekend in Mbale.

Organized under the auspices of two-time Olympic champion, Joshua Cheptegei, backed by partners like smartphone company, Infinix, the event attracted participants in its thousands.

However, even with all the frenzy that is whipped up at the sight of Cheptegei wherever he goes, following the feats on track (5000 and 10,000 metres) he has pulled off over the last five years, this time, his main message went beyond simply winning a race.

“I am happy about the public support and interest to compete in this half-marathon. But this event’s main purpose was to remind us about the experiences in our lives. Recently, we lost a close friend, Rebecca Cheptegei because of Gender Based Violence (GBV). We have to spread the word against it. But at the same time, our environment is getting degraded because of our bad actions. Let us plant trees to conserve nature,” Cheptegei said profoundly.

In light of that, Chemutai, 24, added, as her victory sank in, that the value of having an event like the half-marathon Cheptegei organized, is giving girls and women independence. “Research has shown that women are easily abused when they are not self-reliant. We cannot let that continue. So, we need to work for ourselves and be self-sustaining,” Chemutai said.

Furthermore, Chemutai noted that once you are vulnerable, with no fall-back position, it is easy to be abused. Yet, following the fact that from her win, she bagged Shs 2 million, that gives her some leverage not to be trampled on but be able to support her family with a sense of respect and dignity.

The Elgon Half-Marathon with Cheptegei also had both the 5km and 10km races, both of which the top five performers were all rewarded with cash prizes. Racheal Kibet, who finished behind Chemutai noted that this shows how Cheptegei cares for others so that they can succeed, too.

So, such money helps improve their livelihood. But also, helps facilitate their training and what they require to become better athletes. Cheptegei, of all people knows how tough it has been for him to get as high on the world stage, and remain there.

For that reason, Cheptegei will support other athletes and also help in unearthing talent, as he passionately said, through the friends he has made. For example, Infinix offered the different race winners Smartphones, Smart Watches and laptops in order to aid their prospects of not only winning races, but also winning in life by defeating GBV and climate change.

jovi@observer.ug