Asante sana (thank you very much) - Burgess parkrun #487 - 10/10/25
- aqasanu
- Oct 13
- 3 min read
In the last 5 years, Ugandan athletes have lit up the world stage with their running performances. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,Joshua Cheptegei took the Gold medal in the 10k and Silver medal in the 5k. He then retained his Gold medal at 2024 Paris Olympics, setting a new world record. This year Jacob Kiplimo regained the world record in the half-marathon in Barcelona, came second at the London Marathon and won the Chicago Marathon! Both men are bringing pride to their fellow Ugandan’s and exhilarating performances for the public.
Just like the elites over the last 5 years at Burgess parkrun, our Ugandan community has taken up the challenge of running our event to mark their country's independence, sharing their pride, culture, and exuberance with us all. Over the years, they have taught us that more than 70,000 Ugandans served in the King's African Rifles during World War II, in Abyssinia, Madagascar, and Burma. They have taught us a range of Swahili words, including ‘Jambo’ (hi), ‘Asante’ (thank you), and ‘Haraka’ (fast). And they’ve introduced me to mandazi (Ugandan doughnuts), a joy I didn’t realise I was missing in my life!
The Ugandan ‘takeover’ has become one of my favourite events of the parkrun calendar and coincidentally but perfectly takes place in Black History Month in Southwark. Fellow parkrunners had travelled from near and far to enjoy this celebration, including a coachload brought by Andy of Airey Airways 😀 Airey Airways has been arranging parkrun tours since 2018 in the UK and Europe, and this year in Africa. They organise trips by car, minibus, coach, plane and even ferries! They can take all the stress and planning out of parkrun tourism adventure by handling accommodation, evening meals, airport parking and transfers. You can read more about Airey Airways by clicking here.
Today, most volunteer slots are filled by members of the Ugandan community, and I’d been asked as an honorary Ugandan to do the new runners welcome. With the clock approaching 0900, in my Ugandan football shirt, I grabbed the course map and headed over to welcome everyone on this auspicious day.
After my welcome was concluded, it was the turn of James Kilama-Oceng, today’s Run Director, to say a few words, go through the health and safety, before turning to the time keepers to set us off.
The previous week, I’d been in Germany for their Unity Day and run at Masurey parkrun, which was an attendance record for the country. And here today was an attendance record for Burgess parkrun, another unique and inspiring experience in what feel like a time of division and separation.
With the run completed and barcodes scanned, we were treated to tables of food, hot drinks, music and festival-like fun. I got talking to participants from near and far, including an Iranian couple who had just moved into the area. I asked them where they’d been living before, to which they replied Berlin, astonishingly, where I’d been last week.
Parkrun continues to create unexpected memories and bonds, originating from the journey of a care leaver who used his experiences in care to benefit others by establishing this inclusive and welcoming global community. This continues to fuel me in my work with care-experienced young people, helping them bring out their truths and unique experiences.
A huge thank you to our Ugandan community, the runners, and their families, who made the Ugandan day rich and memorable.
Amani na baraka nyingi (peace and many blessings in Swahili)
You can read about how parkrun was created by the founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a care leaver, in his book ‘One Small Step’ The Definitive Account of how a run become a Global Movement by clicking here
If you're looking to satisfy your craving for some more mandazi or other Ugandan dishes, look no turther.
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