Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 119, June 2019 | Page 80

ADVERTORIAL
90 Daysof
Running
Done,
Now for
Comrades!
On the 17 th of February, eight Standard
Chartered employees from eight countries
embarked on a 90-day global running
journey, the Standard Chartered Belt &
Road Relay, stopping off in 44 countries
to participate in a 10km or 5km run at
each stop! Part of this team was Herman
Kambugu, and now that he has completed
his global run, including a stop in South Africa
in April, he is ready to take on the ‘Ultimate
Human Challenge,’ the Comrades Marathon.
T
he Belt Road is a financial trade route that spans the
financial markets of 44 countries and aims to promote
economic prosperity and economic cooperation, to
strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between different
countries, as well as promote world peace and development.
Running a path through these 44 countries, the Belt Road Relay
took eight Standard Chartered employees from different regions
on an incredible running journey, to further promote economic
development and co-operation. The Africa and Middle East
Region representative in the team was Herman Kambugu, from
Uganda, who already has an impressive running record that
began long before the start of the Belt & Road Relay.
“A few years ago our former CEO invited me and a few others to
join him for a half marathon run. I had never run further than 8km,
but to my surprise, I ran with him the whole 21km. Every time I
felt like giving up, I told my brain and legs that we weren’t going
to give up,” says Herman. “A lot of running is in the mind... If your
mind decides you can do it, you’ll be able to.”
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ISSUE 119 JUNE 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Since that first long run, Herman has steadily increased the
distances he covers, and taken on bigger running challenges.
“Running helps me overcome my fears. Every time someone
tells me a distance isn’t possible I will try and do it. Last year, I
ran three official marathons over three consecutive weekends.
It was difficult, but I wanted to prove to myself that whatever
you believe in, you can achieve.”
Now, after successfully completing the Belt Road Relay, the
next running challenge that awaits Herman is the journey from
Durban to Pietermaritzburg, as he lines up alongside 18,000
other Comrades Marathon hopefuls!
Herman ’ s Journey
When the relay team stopped in South Africa for their run in Johannesburg, we had the opportunity
to chat to Herman Kambugu about his journey in the relay, and his hopes for this year’s Comrades.
Watch the video below!