BUEA GEARING UP FOR THE 2014 GUINNESS MOUNT CAMEROON RACE OF HOPE

By Moki S. Mokondo in Buea for Fako UK/Fako News Centre
10th February 2014

This year’s Mount Cameroon Race of Hope takes place in Buea on February 15, 2014, with a lot of stakes. The challenge is enormous but the reward is high. From FCFA 3,000,000 to FCFA 10,000,000 as cash prize each for respective male and female senior categories, the best athlete would have to challenge any other athlete in that category, ascend to the summit of Mount Cameroon and cross the finishing line in Molyko in top position.
With the coming back of GUINNESS in the organisation of the race after close to two decades of absence, lots of preparations have taken place at all levels to ensure that the event is successful. Series of meetings have taken place in the last days with respective sub organizing committees to evaluate the level of readiness for the race to take place.
The race is witnessing much popularity and the president of the National Athletic Federation, Emmanuel Mbome Motombi, administrative and GUINNESS authorities, have made much publicity in the media and posters and banners have been placed in major towns and highways.

The long-promised house for the Queen of the Mountain, Sarah Liengu Etonge, seven times female champion of the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope, is under construction and the keys are expected to be handed to her on the eve of the race. Sarah liengu Etonge, who is yet to retire from the race, is highly expected to be amongst the first three ladies to cross the finishing line. She has been training and looks promising.
Buea has been swarmed with athletes from all parts of Cameroon and some foreign athletes who have come to get used to the climate before the race proper. What is yet to be filtered to the public is if GUNNESS has brought in international champions, especially from Europe, as they did in the 80’s and 90’s when they brought Mike Short, Jack Maitland, Pierre-Andre Gobet and Christian Fatton.

Being a commercial organisation, the brewery company has organized a trade fair where their products are sold at promotional prices. They also hire musicians to entertain their customers. Buea inhabitants spend most of their evening in this trade fair centre catching fun with friends while eaten fish, chicken and taken a cold drink.