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Kiplangat charges Ugandans in Boston
Fans jam Kiplangat.
What you need to know:
The event, organized as a sports diplomacy effort and bridge between two running capitals - Boston and Uganda, was as well a build-up to the Rwenzori Marathon due August.
The East Coast is a vibrant hub for many people of Ugandan descent in the USA. Little wonder Victor Kiplangat felt at home when he arrived in Boston, Massachusetts at the weekend.
The elite runner was a mark of attention for the Ugandan community before he made his debut at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
The reigning world marathon champion Kiplangat engaged in a cross-cultural exchange event dubbed ‘Uganda to Boston’ by Running Launch Ventures, the Ugandan Embassy in Washington D.C, the Uganda Boston Community Association (UBCA) and Heartbreak Hill Running Co.
“Back in 2023, when I crossed the finish line in Budapest, my heart was aching,” Kiplangat relieved the memories of his world title at Heroes’ Square in Hungarian capital Budapest.
“It felt like a dream - I wasn’t known then. But in that moment, I made Uganda proud,” said the man who also holds the Commonwealth marathon title from the Birmingham 2022 Games in England.
The event, organized as a sports diplomacy effort and bridge between two running capitals - Boston and Uganda, was as well a build-up to the Rwenzori Marathon due August.
At the occasion attended by over 200 guests including local runners, cultural leaders, Uganda Embassy officials from Washington D.C, and Boston residents, Kiplangat toasted to food, storytelling and danced in a Uganda traditional dance before taking on Boston’s main challenge.
Kiplangat was also part of fireside chat with U.S.-based coach Patrick Cheptoek, who originates from Kapchorwa but moved to Kentucky as a student-athlete in 2008.
Kiplangat joins a traditional Ugandan dance group in Boston.
“This was about more than sport,” remarked event organizer Ryan Lee. “It was about celebrating legacy, sharing stories across continents, and reminding Boston that greatness can come from the most unexpected mountain villages.”
Two guests at the event won an all-expenses-paid trip to Uganda for the Rwenzori Marathon, including sports tourism aspects of gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The celebrations are akin to the luncheon Joshua Cheptegei and Team Uganda received at the Ugandan Embassy in Paris, France after the former had won the 10000-metre Olympic title last August.
Majority of the attendees cheered on Kiplangat on the Boston streets on Monday.
BOSTON MARATHON
Date: Usually the third Monday of April (Patriots' Day)
Location: Eastern Massachusetts, ending in Boston
Distance: Marathon
Established: 1897 (128 years ago)
2025 Edition: 129th
Course records: Men: 2:03:02 (2011) by Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) | Women: 2:19:59 (2014) by Buzunesh Deba (ETH)
