By Loise Kasha Konga
On the 31st, the air on the last day of August tasted of endings and anticipation. For one soul it was not an end, but a crescend, a final powerful chord struck before the turning of the page. The sun had not yet claimed the sky over the race route. In the cool pre-dawn grey, a different kind of light was gathering. It was the light of purpose. Thousands of feet, thousands of hearts, all beating a singular silent drumbeat: Enough. No more.
This was the Rotary Cancer Run 2025. And I was not just in it; I was for it
Everyone who participated spoke of the run as "epic", and indeed it was. But not epic in the way of ancient myths with medal award heroes. This was a new kind of epic; a human epic. The hero was the collective. The victory was not in a finish line, but in every stride taken together.The magic, after awards was in the "kimeza"
RC Kampala Ssese Islands, RC Kampala South, RC Kampala North, RC Upper Kololo, RC Kampala Uptown gave us vibrancy and they were the heart of the party; we danced and sung all through Sunday evening with life-affirming energy of a community in motion. It was in the sweat-streaked smiles, the shared breaths, the unspoken understanding that passed between strangers who were, for those miles, family of Rotary.
And then, the ambassadors of hope arrived. From the Rotary Clubs of Kenya. They came; not as visitors, but as kin from across the border, their journey a testament to a battle that knows no boundaries. Their presence was the "magical affair," a weaving together of nations into a single powerful tapestry of resolve. They were living proof that the fight against cancer is a universal language; spoken fluently with compassion and action.
As the run ended and August breathed its last, I stood amidst the fading adrenaline, my heart stamped with "unforgettable moments." We saw not just the faces of the day, but the ghost of a future possibility a promise whispered on the edge of the new month.
But I know the journey does not end when the running stops. It merely changes pace.
After the Run we all turned to face the rising sun of September, feeling the "blessed grace" of a new beginning. And it issued a call, not of a finish line, but of a starting gun for a longer, greater race.
The Cancer Run vision is clear and bold: not just a treatment center, but the best cancer treatments and research institute, right here in Uganda. It started as an audacious dream, but one we refused to dream alone. As PDG Mwanje says "Let's walk the journey together,"
And so the story continues. From the epic run of August to the hopeful dawn of September. From the collective breath of a race to the individual act of giving "whatever we can." I have passed the torch.Join the fight against Cancer by supporting every cancer Run see you in 2026