Mbale Town and its suburbs will have a perfect opportunity to watch the country’s top distance runners battle in the inaugural MTN National Half Marathon Championships due Sunday October 29, 2017 in Mbale.

MTN Uganda in partnership with the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) has launched the Eastern National Half Marathon (21km road race and 1Okm fun run) today in Mbale.

UAF will use the event to select a national team of men and women to represent the country at the IAAF World Road Running Championships slated for March 24, 2018 in Valencia, Spain.

The Half marathon and 1Okm event competed for by both men and women are however entry free of charge for individual participants, schools, universities and other interested institutions. Fabulous prizes await the winners courtesy of event sponsors MTN Uganda.

The road race will be flagged off at 8.30AM on Sunday with a start and finish at Malukhu Sports Ground – the District Headquarters.

The event is expected to attract over 500 runners with the majority who will be slopping down from the Elgon Mountain surrounding districts of Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo, the hub of the country’s top long distance running.

The Eastern MTN Half Marathon, Mbale will also provide opportunity to expose its ‘dormant’ talent and surrounding districts are situated in high altitude areas conducive to producing good and talented middle and long distance runners.

Mbale, Sironko, Manafwa, Bulambuli amongst others have  lagged behind leaving Sebei Sub region to dominate long distance running in the country and yet had a previous track record of producing national/international athletes of repute like; Catherine Webombesa , Samalie Nadunga, Annet Negesa, Jane Suuto amongst others.

The MTN Eastern Half Marathon Championship 2017 is the pioneer regional competition and next year UAF will organize similar Half Marathon series in Western and Northern regions preceding the MTN Kampala Marathon.