Juba Independence Marathon Offers Bigger Prizes in Second Edition

(JUBA) – Registration is now open for the second Digitel Independence Marathon, an event designed to promote peace, unity and healthy living as South Sudan prepares to mark 15 years of independence.

The marathon will take place on 9 July 2026, starting and finishing at Juba National Stadium. The race runs from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and covers a distance of 10 kilometres. It is open to men, women and teenagers, with both competitive and non-competitive categories available.

The route begins at Landmark Hotel roundabout and passes through Mobili roundabout, Madura roundabout, Airport Road, Beijing Hotel, Buluk, Hai Thoura, the University of Juba roundabout, Malakia Road and Pyramid Hotel before returning to Juba National Stadium.

This year the event is held under the theme “Resilience, Unity and a Green Future”. Organisers say the theme reflects the strength of the South Sudanese people and the shared duty to build a united, healthy and environmentally responsible nation.

Registration is conducted digitally through DigiCash, Digitel’s mobile money service.

Participants must dial *290*4*1#, enter the marathon code M26360, and pay a subsidised fee of 5,000 South Sudanese Pounds, equivalent to approximately 0.71 US Dollars at the current market rate of 7,000 SSP per Dollar.

The registration deadline is 29 June 2026. One Digitel user may register up to 50 participants, and those without access to the network can receive help at Digitel customer service centres across the country.

Digitel South Sudan Executive Vice President De Chan Awuol said the registration fee is not a revenue generating measure. Speaking at a press conference in Juba, he explained that participant data allows organisers to plan properly for medical teams, police deployment and other logistics. He added that the fee ensures commitment after previous events saw some people collect marathon kits but not take part in the race.

South Sudan Athletics Federation Secretary General Marco Akol announced that prize money for this year will be higher than in the first edition. Final amounts will be confirmed after technical discussions.

Mr Akol also revealed a new 10 year partnership between Digitel and the federation. Under the agreement, Digitel will provide 10,000 US Dollars each year to support athletics and the Independence Marathon.

He said last year’s marathon cost between 15,000 and 20,000 US Dollars, while this year’s budget has increased to about 25,000 US Dollars as efforts continue to grow the event into a leading regional competition.

The marathon is open to South Sudanese citizens and foreign nationals living in the country. International athletes may also take part at their own expense.

Organisers expressed hope that future editions will attract official participation from neighbouring countries and eventually expand to other states across South Sudan.

Mr Awuol urged the public and media to ignore unverified social media reports about possible tariff changes, saying any official announcements would come through proper government channels.

Both officials described the marathon as a long term investment in sports development and said they are confident it will become one of South Sudan’s most important sporting occasions.