World Athletics to broadcast Renzori Marathon 2026; prize money quadrupled

The Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon has quadrupled its top winner’s prize to Shs40 million as organisers prepare to broadcast the 2026 race live to a global audience for the first time.#

The fifth edition will take place in Kasese on August 22, 2026, with about 8,000 runners expected and athletes from more than 20 countries.

Organisers have raised the total prize purse to Shs252 million, up from Shs92 million in 2025.

The winners of the men’s and women’s 42km races will each receive Shs40 million, four times the Shs10 million awarded last year. 

The runners-up will take Shs20 million each, while third place will earn Shs10 million.

Prize money will extend to sixth place.

The 21km half marathon winners will each receive Shs15 million. Men and women will receive equal prize money at every position.

The sharp rise in prize money follows the marathon’s elevation to World Athletics Label Road Race status in 2026. It is the only race in Uganda with the designation.

The status confirms that the race meets World Athletics requirements on course measurement, elite participation, timing and race operations.

Organisers also want the race to rise through the World Athletics tiers to Elite and eventually Gold Label status.

“Quadrupling the winner's prize in one year is a statement of where we are going,” marathon founder Amos Wekesa said.

“We want a Ugandan runner in Kasese to know that if they are good enough, there is real money and a real stage waiting for them at home. And we want the best runners from Kenya, Ethiopia and beyond to look at this race and decide Kasese is worth travelling to. You build a great marathon by making it worth the journey, on both counts.”

State minister for Sports Peter Ogwang has also backed efforts to turn the race into a stronger platform for local athletes.

“We have seen our children run in London, New York, Amsterdam – but here we haven't had a product where you can run and perform and win at home,” Ogwang said.

The race will also receive its widest international exposure yet.

For the first time, organisers will broadcast about five hours of live coverage on the World Athletics website. The stream will also appear on the marathon’s official YouTube channel.

The coverage will include the full marathon and half marathon through to the awards ceremony.

South African broadcast company Helium will produce the coverage. The company has worked on some of Africa’s biggest road races, including the Two Oceans Marathon and Comrades Marathon.

A separate documentary team is also filming in Uganda around this year’s race.

The documentary follows a route linking Kapchorwa, Budongo and Kasese and will combine Uganda’s running story with its forests, primates and conservation landscape.

English evolutionary biologist and broadcaster Professor Ben Garrod is fronting the production alongside Ugandan-born BBC World producer Eric Mugaju, also known as Shaka.

Garrod has previously worked in western Uganda on chimpanzee conservation with the Jane Goodall Institute.

The documentary will connect the distance-running culture of Kapchorwa with Budongo’s forests and the Rwenzori Mountains in Kasese.

The developments mark another step in the expansion of the marathon, which started in 2022.

Speaking to the press on Monday morning, Uganda Tourism Board CEO Juliana Kaggwa expressed excitement about the board’s partnership with the marathon this year.

“With over 8,000 participants and tens of thousands of supporters gathering from Kasese, Kampala, and beyond, there is no better backdrop than the southwestern foothills of Mount Rwenzori the legendary Mountains of the Moon to showcase the Pearl of Africa,” she said.

“We are especially thrilled to welcome international media outlets like the BBC and teams from South Africa as, for the first time in our five-year history, the marathon will be featured live on the World Athletics channel. As we say in Uganda, you may come for the race, but you will stay for the wildlife, the landscapes, and so much more.”

The 2026 event will feature 42km, 21km, 10km and 5km races. The marathon route starts at the Equator inside Queen Elizabeth National Park and finishes in Kasese town.