This morning we went to check out the happenings of the Kampala Marathon... and can I just say if marathons in the US were more like this one (or maybe they are, I have no clue), I'd probably give more thought to actually running one, or should I say participating in one.
We got a private, air conditioned (!!!) tour of the marathon "route" from our neighbor who saw us leaving this morning and graciously offered us a ride into town. We were a little surprised to be driving on the route itself, but hey there's crazier things!! ...Say, marathoners coming out of bushes (a.k.a. we spotted their shortcut), runners (?) wearing cargo pants, jeans, and even some with loafers on. I even spotted a guy wearing moccasins. It's safe to say, this isn't your mother's marathon. The "after-party" was even better!
Dozens of food & beer (thankyouverymuch 11am) trucks, stalls and vendors surrounded the main stage where Ugandan pop sensation Jamal would perform (fyi: Courtney, Adam, some friends and I met Jamal in September, got some pics with him...no big deal.) We tried our best to get on the list for the tents that looked like diners would be treated to a fancy 5-course brunch buffet, but instead settled on sausage skewers from a street vendor. After a little jamming to Jamal, we decided we'd leave the marathoners to their party and off we went.
It was nice to see people out and about, actually exercising, regardless of their pace. And turning a marathon into a summer concert & food festival? Fine by me - thanks, Kampala!
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