Here we interview runners who have participated in the Uganda Marathon, so they can share their stories and experiences from the 7-Day Adventure. After all, it’s their involvement which makes the week so special, from the impact they have on the Charity Projects to the community feel they give to Race Day.
Dave joined us in Uganda as he was looking for a challenge with a difference! Below, he tells about the two charities he raised funds for as part of his experience – the Eunice Medical Centre in Uganda and the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) in the UK. He describes how the visit to the Ugandan medical centre was ‘unforgettable’, and how Race Day is the “cherry on top” of a very special week – which is in no small part due to the people he met, from the local community to the marathon team, to the fellow participants.
1. What made you sign up to the Uganda Marathon and was it what you expected?
Ha! This was way beyond anything I ever expected!
I signed up to the marathon because I was looking for a challenge with a bit more challenge! Road running a marathon holds no appeal for me. My passion for running comes from making it a day out and enjoying the scenery, and that’s one area the Uganda Marathon certainly delivers! Another big draw for me was the complete lack of pressure, from fundraising targets through to cut-off times for the marathon itself. The whole organisation seems to be powered by positive energy and support, rather than rules and restrictions, and this just makes it an absolute joy to be involved with from the very start. This was so much more than just a marathon, and in that respect, it exceeded my expectations in every single way!
2. You fundraised a fantastic amount by participating in the event! Could you tell us about the causes you choose to fundraise for and why?
The Eunice Memorial Medical Centre was an easy choice for me. The medical centre is situated on an island in the middle of Lake Victoria, and medical care on the islands is difficult to find. The hospital in Kampala is over 6 hours away and the trip includes very rough roads and a ferry ride, so it was clear that the medical centre was crucial to save many lives.
I split my fundraising between this charity and the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA), a local search and rescue charity at home that I volunteer for. Even in the UK, vital medical care is only available if a person has physical access to it, and you’ll often find you rely on volunteer organisations to make that happen. I see some real parallels between these two charities, and both are very worthy causes, a fact borne out by the number of very generous people who read my story and sponsored my efforts.
“This was so much more than just a marathon, and in that respect, it exceeded my expectations in every single way!”
3. Could you tell us about your experience of visiting the Eunice Medical Centre on ‘See Your Legacy Day’?
Without wishing to sound overdramatic, the day kinda blew me away! I’d spent a lot of time preparing myself mentally and physically for the actual marathon, but nothing really prepared me for ‘See Your Legacy Day’! I could almost write a book on this one day alone, so will barely be able to even touch on it here.
It’s a big day out by any measure, in terms of the travelling and the whole ‘I’m in the middle of Lake Victoria’ feeling! But stir in a few emotions and the day quickly becomes one to remember! The day started with an early breakfast and a long bumpy drive to the ferry. Although the road has been properly surfaced in just the last couple of years, the number of speed bumps almost makes you wish they hadn’t bothered! The ferry trip was great though and felt very safe, and half an hour later you’re on an island inhabited by 30,000 people and looking out over palm-fronded beaches and feeling a world away from Masaka. The journey across the island takes about another hour on rough, bumpy and dusty unsurfaced roads through forests and palm plantations, yet as soon as you enter the medical centre a sense of peace and calm prevails. We were made to feel extremely welcome and fed very generously while we all shared our stories and learned how the medical centre came to be.
I mention the stories lightly, but in reality, it was these very stories that transformed the day. And within minutes of arriving, we’d met a local gentleman whose son’s life was saved by the Eunice Medical Centre some time back. The gentleman was so overwhelmed that whenever he meets a sick person now who can’t get treatment, he personally takes them to the medical centre, and despite being a man of limited means, he even pays for their treatment himself! It turned out he was at the medical centre that morning because he’d been expecting another baby, but she was actually delivered prematurely moments before we arrived! Even at that point, it was a beautiful story, but we were fortunate enough to have Steve Hill MBE, a keen supporter and fundraiser, returning to Eunice with us. And it turned out Steve’s charity knits clothes for premature babies so he got to present the family with some new baby clothes. And to top that, out of respect for the medical centre and us fundraisers, the baby was named after 2 of our team while we were there! The whole story was one of people helping people, helping people. And this was just one of so many stories that day, and this was exactly why I went to Uganda and ran the marathon!
These stories and the passion and belief that came out with every single one made it far more than just a day to remember. It’s a day I’ve relived many times over and an experience that will truly sit with me till the day I die.
4. Could you tell us about your experience of running the marathon on Race Day?
Understandably, this is the question people ask at home. And when I tell them that the marathon wasn’t the hardest thing I did that week I don’t really think they ever understand!
The marathon is epic, don’t get me wrong. You are looked after beautifully, and it’s amazing to run amongst all those people in that scenery against that background, and through many of the Charity Projects you’ve been seeing all week, and with the same amazing friends that only a week ago you never even knew existed. It felt like everybody was on the same team, and half the time you barely even register that you’re running! But the marathon is just the climax, the culmination, and probably the reason why most of us thought we were there. The marathon is the bit we take the credit for, but really it’s just a big fat cherry on top of an enormous cake!
“Sign up for the Uganda Marathon yourself next year and have the experience of your life at the same time!!”
5. Finally, what was your best overall memory from the 7-days, and how would you sum the week up for someone who hasn’t been?
My best overall memory of the week is of the journey that the week took me on. I had done similar trips before, but I went looking for an emotional ride and boy did I get one!
I loved the people; the locals who never stop smiling, the Uganda marathon team who made everything look so absolutely effortless, and the fellow runners… like-minded individuals who love a good dose of fun and adventure. Nobody is ever stuck for conversation out there, and there’s really nothing to be feared in going there alone.
But the one thing I took away more than anything is a sense of love and hope and positivity and a total can-do attitude. It’s easy to see Africa on television and find yourself wanting to donate a few pounds. But this almost gives the impression that they survive on handouts. This couldn’t be further from the truth. To see the Eco Brixs project upcycling plastic fished out of Lake Victoria to prevent it from reaching the Nile/Med/Atlantic to protect our world, and against the poverty-stricken backdrop of their world, was truly humbling. And as we shared stories around the campfire each evening, the theme became clear, and the positivity and drive and sustainability and empowerment I saw and heard about reassured me we were doing exactly the right thing.
Other projects included schools, youth organisations, agriculture and farming communities, prisons, medical centres… the list goes on, and the themes are the same, each cause as desperate and as worthy as the next, and working for local and global improvement in very challenging conditions.
Seriously, thank you so much to everybody that believed in me and sponsored me for this amazing cause during this amazing week in this amazing country of amazing people on our amazing planet. Any money you can spare is effectively multiplied so many times as it goes such a long way in Uganda. Please please please give what you can. Or better still… sign up for the Uganda Marathon yourself next year and have the experience of your life at the same time!!
