Kampala — Organisers have extended the MTN Kampala International marathon registration by one week to accommodate multitudes of people interested in participating. "If more people want to register then why not give them a chance?" MTN Brand and Sponsorship Manager Aggrey Kagonyera said yesterday.

The registration that was set to end today has been pushed to next Friday. "We don't want to leave anyone out. The extension is for those that have been tied down to their work," added Kagonyera, who is also a member of the organising committee.

Over 5,000 people including 400 elite athletes have already registered and Kagonyera is confident the number of participants will shoot up to 1,000. "This weekend, we are opening up registration centres at all the major shopping malls in Kampala including Shoprite, Game, Pioneer Mall, among others," Kagonyera said.

Already, over 60 corporate organisations have registered with each paying a fee of Shs0.5m. Competitors in the 10km open, wheelchair, 21km and full marathon pay Shs5,000 per head. With the 21km and 42.195km races open to foreign runners, competition is expected to be very fierce. Kenya is sending a very big contingent while other runners will come from Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia.

Routes for the 10km and 21km remain unchanged but the full marathon course has been adjusted to avoid the traffic and hilly sections in Natete. "It's not okay to have steep sections in the final 20km. That's why we found it necessary to make adjustments in the full marathon."

Start and finish remains at Engen fuel station, Lugogo. Uganda's elite runners like Moses Kipsiro , Isaac Kiprop and Joseph Nsubuga have confirmed participation. To adhere with international standards, an anti-doping team will fly into the country two days to the race. All winners will have to undergo mandatory drugs tests before receiving their cash prizes. "We must make sure that all participants are clean."