The Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon will offer a record UGX 252 million prize purse for its 2026 edition, more than 2.7 times the UGX 92 million awarded last year.

The fifth edition will be held in Kasese on 22 August, with about 8,000 runners expected to take part. Athletes from 26 countries have registered for the race.

The marathon winner in both the men’s and women’s fields will receive UGX 40 million, up from UGX 10 million in 2025. Prize money will be paid through sixth place.

The half-marathon winners will each receive UGX 15 million, with prizes also awarded through sixth place. Men and women will receive equal prize money at every position.

The larger purse comes after the race secured World Athletics Label Road Race status in 2026. The designation places the Rwenzori Marathon among roughly 200 races worldwide that meet international standards for course measurement, elite participation, timing and race operations.

It is currently the only World Athletics Label road race in Uganda.

Government has committed to supporting the event’s ambition of reaching World Athletics Gold Label status, a higher tier reserved for major international marathons.

The organisers say the increased prize money is intended to attract stronger regional and international fields while giving Ugandan and East African athletes a greater financial incentive to compete at home.

State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang said the race could give Ugandan athletes an opportunity to compete for significant prize money without travelling abroad.

“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.

Amos Wekesa, founder of the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon, said the increase was designed to raise the race’s competitiveness and international profile.

“Quadrupling the winner’s prize in one year is a statement of where we are going,” 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.”

He said the organisers also want top athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia and other countries to view Kasese as a worthwhile destination on the international racing calendar.

World Athletics road race regulations provide four tiers: World Athletics Label, Elite, Gold and Platinum. Each higher tier requires stronger elite fields, larger guaranteed prize purses, deeper prize-money payments, anti-doping measures and more demanding race operations.

As a World Athletics Label race, the Rwenzori Marathon has no minimum prize-money requirement. The UGX 252 million purse is therefore a voluntary increase by the organisers.

The organisers say the 2026 purse is the first step towards meeting the higher requirements for Elite and eventually Gold Label status, including a stronger international field and substantially larger guaranteed prize money.

The 2026 race will feature four distances — 42km, 21km, 10km and 5km. The routes start at the Equator in Queen Elizabeth National Park and finish in Kasese town, beneath the Rwenzori Mountains.

Live on World Athletics channel:

Rwenzori Marathon will be broadcast live globally for the first time when the fifth edition takes place in Kasese on August 22, organisers have confirmed.

The race, held at the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, has received World Athletics Label Road Race status for 2026.

World Athletics will stream about five hours of coverage, including the 42-kilometre marathon, the 21-kilometre half marathon and the awards ceremony.

Production is being handled by South African company Helium, which has covered major African races including the Comrades and Two Oceans marathons.

A separate documentary team is also filming in Uganda, following a journey from Kapchorwa through Budongo to Kasese. The production explores Uganda’s forests and wildlife alongside the stories of runners.