Running at the Source of the Nile before Rwanda claims it

There are some invitations that make sense, like come for dinner, come out for a drink, would you like to go to the beach.

And then there is this... Come and run a trail at the Source of the Nile.

Only and only because it was Alex who asked, I said yes. The Nile, after all, is not just any river. This is the mighty Nile, one of the longest rivers in the world, a river that has seen and supported civilizations, a river that crosses several countries, inspired John Speke and those other explorers we learnt about in history, a river that is a source of arguments about geography, hydropower plants, etc, including an ongoing argument about where exactly it begins.

Uganda says the Source of the Nile is in Uganda. This is what I grew up with, and I see no reason to destabilise the region by asking unnecessary questions.

But there are people who say the true source is in Rwanda. There are also claims involving Burundi, depending on how far upstream you are willing to follow tributaries and how badly you want to antagonise the region. Uganda and Rwanda have had varied relations over the years, so I don't think this is the time to introduce another dispute.

For purposes of this run, therefore, the Source of the Nile is in Uganda. If you are Rwandan reading this, we can discuss your evidence after the run, preferably over a Nile Special Lagar. Until then, come and see the real Source of the Nile. In Uganda.

Now that the international relations portion of this invitation is complete, let us return to the actual problem.

Now, this Alex, and his craze about running saw the Nile an thought... You know what would make this better? Running.

So, on 6th September, we shall gather for the annual Source of the Nile Trail Run.

I should probably disclose something before I start recruiting innocent people.... I have never done a trail run. I know what running is. I also know what a trail is. What I don't entirely know is the two combined.

From what I can tell, ordinary running is on a road that is generally flat-ish, relatively predictable and no major surprises. Trail running, from what I hear, appears to be something else. There may be roads, footpaths, animal tracks, hills, mud, rocks, roots, grass, bushes and small paths disappearing into maize gardens. There may be moments when you are not entirely sure whether you are running, hiking, or starring in an adventure movie. Apparently, this is part of the attraction, and I am curious.

If I am going to try my first trail run, there are worse places to do it than beside the Nile, and I am inviting you to come too.

Come if you are a runner. Come if you are a walker. Come if you have always wanted to try trail running. Come if you like adventure. Come if you like the Nile. Come if your idea of a good weekend involves doing something that sounded much easier when you registered.

We shall run, we shall explore, we shall admire the scenery. We shall regret, and some of us, like often happens to me, may even discover muscles we had previously assumed were decorative. At that point during the run when the going gets tough, we shall remind ourselves that people travel across the world to see the Source of the Nile. We just chose to run alongside it, seeing it while out of breath.

SOURCE OF THE NILE TRAIL RUN

📅 Date: 6th Sept 2026

📍 Venue: NRE - BUJAGALI

🏃 Distances:  5km, 12km, 25km, 50km

⏰ Start time: 6am

🎟️ Registration: www.sourceoftheniletrailrun.com

I cannot promise that I know what I am doing, which is precisely why you should come.

At the very least, if trail running turns out to be a terrible idea, there should be enough of us to complain about it together over a beer and rolex.