Harrier wins Uganda place

Competitions on Facebook have become something of a trend of late but little did local athlete, Bobby Wisehall, know that when he entered a competition on the social media site, he would soon be training for the biggest challenge of his life!

Bobby, who is a member of local running club Hermitage Harriers, came across a competition to win a place in the Ugandan International Marathon and was stunned when his name was drawn out on a youtube video. His journey was to begin with a crowd of excited Ugandan schoolchildren chanting his name.

The Ugandan marathon, which takes place on 24th May 2015, will be Bobby’s first ever marathon. He will join 1,500 other athletes including more than 100 international runners. As if running 26.2 miles wasn’t demanding enough, Bobby will also have to cope with running in the high temperatures of Uganda, the demand of running at high altitude (the course is 3900ft above sea level) and the added challenge of the marathon being entirely off-road.

However, Bobby is taking it all in his stride. !Training is going well and I have passed the 20 mile marker in training and am feeling confident. It’s hard on your body to run so many miles, but it’s such an honour to be involved in this amazing event, that the hard work will certainly be worth it. After all, what better way to embark on such a challenge than by heading to Africa to run 26.2 miles on the equator!"

Not only will Bobby get to run the marathon but the organisers ensure that competitors get to experience the real Uganda too. Bobby will take part in six days of adventure, friendship, challenge and fun! This will include staying with a local family; an adventure around East Africa which could include bungee jumping over to Nile or unwinding on the beaches of Ssesse Islands; marshalling the KidsRunWild race which is organised for local schoolchildren and orphans and visiting local projects funded by the marathon.

Bobby was so overwhelmed at winning the competition, he has decided to help the Masaka area by fundraising for local projects. "I am aiming to raise £1500 which will help to build and equip several classrooms, pay for simple but effective HIV test kits and support a project to protect vulnerable young women on the streets." Anyone wanting to support Bobby can do so by visiting www.inspiredescapes.com/fundraising/bobby-wisehall and sponsoring him to run this challenging marathon.

Further information on the Ugandan marathon can be found at www.ugandamarathon.com/