So, I completed the Kampala Marathon last Sunday and it turned out to be even tougher than expected. MTN, the mobile phone company sponsoring and organizing the event (and my former employer by the way), again this year had decided to focus their attention on the 10K run. Me and the other amateur runners on the full marathon distance faced ridiculous conditions:
1) There was no map in my starting kit nor was there any information about when the races would start (resulting in me starting 30 minutes late)
2) There were no marshals on the last 5-6 kilometers so on one occasion I ran the wrong way
3) Big parts of the route after the first 10km had no separate lanes for the runners, so getting hit by a boda boda or a vehicle was a real risk
4) There was no water or sucrose at the last two supply stations, just what you need after 3½ hours of running in 30+ degrees sunny weather
5) There was no water or sucrose of any kind at the finishing line
I did quite well up until around 38 kilometers and then the dehydration forced me to slow down to a walk. I was feeling really dizzy and uncomfortable, and at the same time I could not believe how the organizers had just let the runners down completely - an almost true copy of what happened two years ago at the same event. If my friend OT had not come to my rescue 1½ kilometer before the finishing line and given me some juice I could have gotten really sick. Unreal. Shocking. Stronger words comes to mind by I'll try and keep this blog family friendly.
In my honest opinion, MTN should never, ever be allowed to organize another Kampala Marathon. Let them do their 10K run where they get lots of people to come and wear their merchandise and let some other organization with a real interest in organizing a proper marathon come in and do the necessary. It really is not that hard. MTN has proven beyond any doubt that they have zero interest in organizing a proper marathon - which is incredible considering that it is their single biggest and most costly marketing event of the year!?
Enough is enough. I'm done with running the Kampala Marathon for as long MTN organizes it. The only good thing I can say about that day was that our BBQ afterwards was much better organized and at no point did we run out of beverages or beers ;-)
Time to focus on the Comrades training. More about that in the next blog.
Marathon Madsen
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