MP Achon to run 500km from Entebbe to Otuke for charity

Running for 500km over five days sounds like any normal person’s idea of hell. But not Julius Achon.
The Otuke Member of Parliament will attempt to run for 500km to raise money for his Love Mercy Foundation charity.
He intends to complete the distance with four other partners starting from Entebbe Town this Sunday with the first lap ending in Lugazi. From Lugazi, the group will run to Kaliro then Kumi, Kaberamaido before completing the distance in Lira on Saturday.
“This will be a huge challenge,” said the 1994 world junior champion and 1995 All-Africa Games bronze medallist in 1,500 metres. The 42-year-old surpassed his previous efforts of the annual cross country race. Achon has reminded himself that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”.
Each of the five members; Matt Farmer, Justin, Kate McDonald and Luca Turrini, will run 10km every day to complete the challenge. On Sunday November 22, the annual cross-country supported by sportswear makers Nike, with an estimated 3,000 participants, will take centre stage.
This awareness run will help to raise $100,000 in support of Achon’s livelihood project that aims at supporting families with farm implements, soy and sim-sim seeds. More than 13,000 families in Otuke benefit from the scheme. “I used to run for myself now I run for my people,” Achon said.