The runners make the Uganda Marathon what it is. The people, the community, the fundraising and the determination to finish is why UGM is truly a Race Like No Other. We want to tell the stories of the runners taking part in our event because it’s their stories that are the most exciting!
Tom & Bertie are two recent graduates, who have been living out in Uganda & volunteering for a charity in recent months. They’ve been making big efforts on the fundraising front too! So we wanted to share their Ugandan story so far with you…
1. You’re both been based in Uganda prior to the marathon in June… Could you tell us a little bit about your Ugandan adventure so far, when you arrived and why you decided to come to Uganda?
Tom: We’ve been in East Africa since late January and have travelled around Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania which were all fantastic and gave us a truly once in a lifetime experience. Really it all started with wanting to take a year out after university and go somewhere which isn’t the normal gap year location. When the opportunity came to do some volunteering for the ‘Henry van Straubezee Memorial Fund’ then we saw it as a great chance to experience more of everyday Ugandan life than you would if you are just travelling from tourist spot to tourist spot.
Bertie:We got in to contact with HvSMF after we’d got the idea to travel to East Africa, and they offered us accommodation in a simple house in the middle of a 2000 pupil primary school. Living there has been fun, if not peaceful. For one school term we’ve been teaching at a couple of rural schools in the area, which as Tom says, has been an exceptional opportunity to experience a lifstyle completely different to one’s own back in England.
2. Why did you sign up for the marathon, and what are you most excited about?
Tom: HvSMF asked us whether we would like to do some fundraising for them alongside the volunteering we would be doing and we thought it was a great opportunity to support a cause which we would have firsthand experience of. When the dates worked well for the marathon we realised that it would be a great challenge and a rewarding end to our stay in Uganda.
Bertie: Easily what I most excited about is crossing the finish line; assuming I make it! And possibly that first cold beer afterwards.
Bertie: What’s most interesting to me about Ugandan life is to see how very simply most Ugandans live, and yet to see that they are no less happy (if anything, more so) than their contemporaries in the West. It’s quite a powerful lesson. I recommend anyone visiting to communicate with the people here and to try and learn something from them.