Surprise marathon winner pushed to excel by family

Migadde approaches the finish line at Kololo Airstrip last Sunday. Photo by Ismail Kezaala

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Caroline Migadde was hesitant to compete in last Sunday’s MTN Kampala Marathon but her guardian made sure she featured and ended up winning the 42km race

KAMPALA

Maybe you are great but you don’t realise! Caroline Migadde didn’t want to participate in the MTN Kampala Marathon last Sunday but was forced to take a shot at it by her family.
She could have refused but there was extra motivation coming in from her friend, Kenyan Florence Kiplagat, the world half marathon record holder. “The people at home are tough. They are always hard on me to train hard and compete,” Migadde told Daily Monitor in an interview yesterday. She is full of praise for her aunt Betty Kasimbazi and friend Kiplagat, who have given her financial support throughout her career.
“My mind wasn’t really that much into that race. I was reluctant but my aunt insisted I should run,” Migadde said, piling praise on her guardian Kasimbazi with whom she stays in Kololo whenever she returns from Kenya. Kasimbazi is the under-secretary of the Ministry of Finance.
“Florence gave me advice almost two weeks ago. She even sponsored my participation in the Kabarinet Half Marathon where I finished 19th in 76 minutes. “That race was like a warm-up (to last weekend’s marathon) but after the race I even feared to approach her (Kiplagat). She had spent money on me yet here I was finishing 19th. “But she congratulated me and encouraged me to keep working hard,” she added.
Her triumph last Sunday came in what was her first full marathon. She beat three-time champion Jane Suuto by over four minutes as she posted 02:51.31 hours. Suuto, who clocked 02:56.04 last won the marathon in 2011. “… and I will continue to beat them because I am stronger and train in better conditions,” Migadde said when we asked about her surprise victory. The win was Migadde’s first race in Uganda since 2010 when she finished sixth in the 21km category of the MTN Kampala Marathon. Before last Sunday not so many could recognise her face.
Actually when she approached the finish line at Kololo Airstrip, many thought she was Kenyan. She didn’t receive as much applause from the crowd as Dorcus Inzikuru or any other popular Ugandan runner would have been accorded for winning the gruelling race that earned her Shs14m.
While most top Ugandan runners hail from Eastern Uganda, Migadde is one of the few from the west.
Her success is proof that talent is scattered in all corners of the country but athletics officials are doing little to groom it.

Starting in Ntungamo
Though her time in Kenya hasn’t come without challenges - some of them financial - she doesn’t see herself returning to continue her career back home. She looks forward to securing a future by making more money from the sport. “It won’t last long. Maybe by the time I am 35 or 36 years, I will stop running. I want to also have a family of my own,” the 29-year-old said of her future.
Migadde’s athletics journey started way back in the 90s. While at Katonga Primary School in Ntungamo, she got into running just for the fun of it.
When Inzikuru won Uganda’s first World Championships gold medal in 2005, Migadde developed more interest in the sport. She envied Inzikuru and felt she could be like her.
“In 2008, I went to Kapchorwa for training where I met Inzikuru and other athletes. I also learned from them that the cold conditions in Kenya were better for training,” said the runner, who signed a contract with kit manufactures Nike in August.
Her journey in Kenya (2008) began at Kamarin Stadium where she participated in a 1500m race, finishing second with 4:19.
That earned her a ticket to represent Keyo District at the Kenya National Championship in Nyayo Stadium. She finished sixth.
“I realised I wasn’t good enough on track so I decided to switch to half marathon. Since 2010, I have regularly taken part in continental half marathons,” she offered.
Last year, however, knee and hip injuries struck, forcing her to skip some road races. Migadde was born on June 18, 1985 in Kagalama, Ntungamo in Western Uganda. She is now the eldest of four children after her two older siblings passed on. She has for now set her sights on participating at next year’s World Championships in Beijing, China. Her preparations will start by taking part in a half marathon in Celle, Germany in March 2015.