Ua kapa ʻia ʻo The Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon, e mālama ʻia ka holo i ka lā 2 o Kepakemapa 2023, ma ka moku ʻo Kasese ma nā puʻu o ka 5,109 mika Ruwenzori i uhi ʻia i ka hau ma ke komohana o Uganda. Wahi a ke kākoʻo nui o ka marathon, ʻo Tusker Lite, ʻo ka pahuhopu o ka marathon ʻo ia ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i ke ola olakino, hoʻoikaika i ka mākaʻikaʻi i ka ʻāina, a kākoʻo i nā kaiāulu kūloko ma o ka mana o ka holo ʻana ma o ka hui ʻana i nā kukini kūloko a me ka honua.
Manaʻo ka hanana e hōʻike i nā ʻāina kupanaha o nā mauna ʻo Rwenzori a me Queen Elizabeth National Park, me kona mau glaciers kaulana, nā piko kiʻekiʻe, nā ululāʻau ulu, a me nā savannah ākea. ʻO ka pahuhopu nui ka hoʻolilo ʻana i ka Rwenzori Marathon i mea pono e hele ai no ka poʻe kukini a me nā mea hoihoi o waho mai nā wahi a puni o ka honua. Ke manaʻo nei ka hanana e hana i ka hopena mau loa ma ka ʻāina, ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā kaiāulu kūloko a ka paipai ʻana i ka hoʻomohala hoʻomau.
ʻO ka wehe ʻana i ka hanana ma ka Pōʻalima, ʻAukake 24, ma ka Hotel Kampala Sheraton, ua kamaʻilio ʻo Uganda Lodges CEO Amos Wekesa i nā lālā o ka paʻi a me ka ʻohana mākaʻikaʻi nui e hele pū ana me ka Mea Hanohano Kuhina Moku'āina no Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, Mugara Bahinduka; Luna Hoʻokele o Uganda Tourism Board, Lilly Ajarova; Luna Hoʻokele Pāʻoihana ʻo Uganda Wildlife Authority, ʻo Stephen Sanyi Masaba; nā ʻelele mai ka ʻoihana pilikino; a me ka poʻe influencers e pili ana i ka pahu pahu kiki waha waha ʻo Moses Golola, ka mea hoʻokani pila ʻo Pasaso, Fina Masanyaraze, et al.
Ma ka haʻi ʻōlelo ʻana i ka lehulehu, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Wekesa: "Ua holo au i ka hapalua marathon ma 'Kili' (Kilimanjaro) i kēia makahiki, a ʻike wau i ka hopena o ka hana a kēlā marathon. No laila, manaʻo mākou ua maikaʻi, ke hana nei ʻo Kili ma kahi o 65,000 poʻe e piʻi ana i kēlā mauna, ʻo ka mauna ʻo Rwenzori ʻo ia ka mauna ʻoi loa o ka ʻāina e hana ana ma lalo o 2,000 mau haole i ka makahiki. Ua noʻonoʻo mākou, pehea mākou e hoʻoikaika ai i kēia kumuhana i mea e hoʻokūkū maoli ai? He 65,000 ka poʻe e piʻi ana i kēlā me kēia makahiki, e uku ana kēlā me kēia o lākou i ka awelika o 5,000 kālā; ke kamaʻilio nei mākou ma luna o 300 miliona mau kālā i loaʻa i ka hoʻokele waiwai o Tanzania.
“He mauna hele wāwae ʻo Kili. ʻO ka mauna ʻenehana maoli ʻo The Ruwenzoris me 16 mau piko, 5 o ia mau mea i waena o nā 10 kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe loa ma ka ʻāina. Ua piʻi au iā Rwenzori i ka makahiki i hala, ua nalowale au i 7 kilokani i nā lā 7.
"ʻAʻohe mea hiki ke hoʻomākaukau iā ʻoe no ka paʻakikī e like me ka mea hiki ʻole ke hoʻomākaukau iā ʻoe no ka nani āu e ʻike ai ma kēlā mauna."
“No ke aha i ʻilihune ai ka poʻe ma lalo? Pehea e hiki ai i ka poʻe ma lalo ke puka i waho mai ka ʻilihune? ʻO ia ka manaʻo ma hope o ka marathon Ruwenzori. No laila i ka makahiki i hala ua hoʻomaka mākou e hoʻokau i ka papahana o ka Ruwenzori Marathon. Ua hoʻomau mākou ma ia mea, a hiki iaʻu ke haʻi aku iā ʻoe ʻaʻohe hanana e like me ka Ruwenzori marathon e hoʻokau ʻia nei.
"I ka makahiki i hala aku nei ua loaʻa iā mākou he 800runners, 150 Ugandans i kā mākou mau hiʻohiʻona. I kēia manawa he 1,500 kā mākou i hoʻopaʻa inoa. Manaʻo mākou e loaʻa ma kahi o 2,500 mau kukini i ka hopena pule aʻe. ʻO ia ka hopena o kēia marathon. I kēia manawa a mākou e kamaʻilio nei, ua aneane pau nā hōkele ma Kasese, ua hoʻomaka ʻo Fort Portal e hoʻopiha. I ka makahiki i hala, ua pau ka moa o na hale kuai ma ka la 3 o Sepatemaba, pau ka hua, o na mea a pau, a pono lakou e hele i Fort Portal a lawe hou mai i ka ai. ʻO ia ka mea e paipai ai i ka ulu ʻana o ka ʻoihana.
Ua ʻike ʻo Wekesa i ka poʻe kākoʻo nui me Tusker Lite nā mea hana pia e hāʻawi ana ma kahi o hoʻokahi piliona shillings, ʻo Stanchart Bank e hāʻawi ana i 100 miliona shillings, UNDP (United Nations Development Program) i hoʻokomo i loko o 300 miliona shillings, a me nā mea hou aku mai Coca-Cola, etc. Ua hauʻoli loa ke Kuhina o ka Mākaʻikaʻi e hele mai ma luna o ka moku: ;…ua hoʻokomo lākou ma kahi o 50 miliona shillings, ua loaʻa iā mākou ka UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) i hoʻokomo i kekahi kālā, hāʻawi iā mākou i nā kaʻa no kēlā, a ke koi nei mākou ia. I kēia makahiki makemake mākou e hoʻolilo ma kahi o 500 miliona shillings e kūʻai aku iā Ruwenzori ma waho o Uganda. Ua hoʻolimalima mākou i kahi ʻoihana kūʻai i kapa ʻia ʻo Pindrop a ʻike ʻoe ʻo mākou ka helu ʻekahi ma USA. Inā ʻaʻole i hoʻoholo ʻia ka 'bila gay', e hele mai ana ma mua o 500 poʻe Pelekane. Ke kamaʻilio nei mākou i kēia manawa, loaʻa iā mākou nā poʻe i hoʻopaʻa inoa mai 13 mau ʻāina a puni ka honua. ʻEiwa o nā ʻāina he mau ʻāina ʻo ʻApelika. Loaʻa iā mākou ʻo ʻAigupita, ʻApelika Hema, ʻAitiopa, a me kēia mau wahi āpau. No laila ke kakali nei mākou e ʻike iā ʻoe. ”…
Ua hoʻomaikaʻi aku ke Kuhina o ka Moku'āina no ka Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Mea Hanohano Mugara Bahinduka, i ka poʻe influencers a me ka poʻe paʻi. Ua ʻike ʻo ia iā Bonifence Byamukama, ka luna hoʻomalu, ESTOA (Exclusive Sustainable Tour Operators Association), a me Jean Byamugisha, CEO, Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), a me nā mea ʻē aʻe. Ua hoʻomaikaʻi pū ʻo ia i kona mua, ʻo Mea Hanohano Godfrey Kiwanda, no ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka mākaʻikaʻi kūloko. Ua ʻike ʻo ia i ka hāʻawi ʻana o ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi haole ma ka lawe ʻana mai i ke kālā hou aʻe akā ua ʻike ʻo ia he mea nui hoʻi ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka mākaʻikaʻi kūloko i hiki iā lākou ke hoʻomau i kēia ʻāpana. Ua hoʻomaopopo ʻo ia i nā luʻi o ka maʻi maʻi COVID-19 a me ka Ebola akā ʻōlelo ʻo ia wale nō ke ala e hiki ai iā lākou ke lanakila i kēlā mau pilikia ma ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka mākaʻikaʻi kūloko. Ua hoʻomaikaʻi ʻo ia i nā mea a pau i ka hoʻolaha kūloko e hoʻolaha i ka mākaʻikaʻi kūloko i kapa ʻia ʻo "Tulambule" kahi i lawe ʻia ai ka hoʻolaha i ka hikina, komohana, a me ka ʻākau o Uganda. Ua hoʻomaikaʻi ʻo ia i ka poʻe i hoʻomau i ka kipa ʻana a me ka "Explore Uganda" ʻoiai ma hope o nā hoʻolaha.
ʻO ka Ruwenzori Marathon
I ka makahiki i hala, ua lanakila ʻo Mt. Rwenzori ma luna o ka papa inoa o nā hapa marathon nani loa o ka honua i hōʻuluʻulu ʻia e Outdoorswire USA i kēia lā e hōʻike ana i nā mauna i uhi ʻia i ka hau kokoke loa i ka equator a me ka huli ʻana.
Hoʻonohonoho ʻia ka Ruwenzori Marathon ma ke kua o nā mauna nani ʻo Rwenzori, i ʻike ʻia ʻo "Mountains of the Moon" e kaena ana i ke kolu o ka piko kiʻekiʻe loa ma ʻApelika, ʻo Margherita Peak (5,109 mika ASL).
Aia ma ka ʻāpana komohana o Uganda, hāʻawi ka ʻāina ʻo Rwenzori i nā hiʻohiʻona nani, nā mea kanu a me nā holoholona ʻokoʻa, a me nā manawa huakaʻi like ʻole. Mai nā piko kiʻekiʻe e piʻi aʻe ma luna o nā ao a hiki i nā loko aniani aniani a me nā ululāʻau paʻa i ka ʻāina, he mea kupanaha maoli ka Rwenzoris.
Ma muli o ka ʻōlelo ʻana a ka mea akamai Helene kahiko ʻo Ptolemy ʻo kēia mau "mauna o ka mahina" ke kumu o ka Nile, ua hopu nā mauna Rwenzori i ka noʻonoʻo o nā mea hoʻokalakupua a me nā mea ʻimi. No ke kakau inoa no ka marathon, Bus maanei.
He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:
- According to the main sponsor of the marathon, Tusker Lite, the aim of the marathon is to promote healthy living, boost tourism to the region, and support local communities through the power of running by bringing together local and international runners.
- Unveiling the event on Thursday, August 24, at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel, Uganda Lodges CEO Amos Wekesa addressed members of the press and the tourism fraternity at large in attendance including the Honorable State Minister for Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, Mugara Bahinduka.
- So we thought okay, Kili is doing about 65,000 people climbing that mountain, Mount Rwenzori which is the most iconic mountain on the continent was doing less than 2,000 foreigners in a year.
