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Shift Media News 
By Amuya Lydia Omech
Soroti, Uganda:
The 2019 MTN Kampala Marathon has kicked off with the official leg of the eastern run being flagged on Sunday 3rd November.
Held under the theme; “A good reason to run”, the 2019 MTN Regional Runs shall start in Soroti this Sunday the 3rd November. The 10km race will start at the Soroti Independence grounds, starting at 7am.
Uganda’s Olympic marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich will lead runners on the challenge. All proceeds from the run will be used to improve maternal health facilities in a Health Centre IV hospital in the Teso-sub region.
Speaking to the press ahead of the race, Isaiah Ssemamuli, the MTN Senior Manager, Regional Operations said that the Telecom introduced the regional races as a way of allowing people in the regions to showcase their abilities and also to give people in the participating regions, an opportunity to contribute to the well-being of others through the causes that the MTN Run and Marathon support.
“We are happy that the people of Soroti have welcomed the race and many of them have already registered and collected their running kits. The money that we are going to collect will go towards improving maternal health in the Teso sub-region,” Isaiah Ssemamuli said.
Last year, in a bid to give it a national feel, the Telecom giant expanded the annual MTN Kampala Marathon to three other major reasons. In 2018, the MTN Runs were successfully conducted in Mbale, Gulu, and Mbarara.
The Arua and Masaka run will be held on Sunday 10th and 17th November 2019 respectively, ahead of the flagship MTN Kampala Marathon in Kampala on Sunday the 24th November.
With an estimated 336 deaths per 100,000 live births, Uganda’s maternal mortality is one of the highest in the world. This explains why for the third year in a row, the Marathon will focus on improving maternal health.
Proceeds from last year’s Marathon are being used to complement efforts by the Ministry of Health to improve service delivery in 5 Health Centre IV facilities across Uganda.
Soroti District Chairperson, Hon. Girgiro Mikairi Egunyu said he was happy that the marathon has come to Teso region. “We are very happy that you have remembered us and we are particularly very happy that the proceeds are going to be used to upgrade a health Center IV in our region,” he said.
Stephen Kiprotich who will be the guest runner in Soroti said he is what he is today due to the mileage that the MTN Marathon gave him.
“I am always excited about the MTN Marathon. This marathon gave me a platform when I was starting out which helped me a lot in my international career. I still participate in the marathon because it gives me a platform to practice for my international engagements,” he said.
While the regional races will feature a single 10km route run, the Kampala Marathon will feature five routes including; the full marathon (42Km), half marathon (21Km), the 10Km race and 5Km fun run and the wheelchair race.
The wheelchair race that was previously held a weekend before the main marathon event will this year take place on the same day as the main marathon to foster inclusiveness.
According to MTN, Special attention has also been made to ensure every participant has a vest that fits and enables a comfortable running experience.
About MTN Uganda
Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services, and Internet Service Provisioning. As at 31st December 2018, MTN Uganda recorded 11.2 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug or follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnug or www.twitter.com/mtnugpro for assistance.
