Two amazing athletes have completed incredible challenges to raise awareness and support for important causes. Deo Kato and Hilde Dosogne have both run thousands of miles to help make the changes they want to see in the world.
Deo Kato Runs From South Africa to England
On December 22, Deo Kato became the first person to run from Cape Town, South Africa to London, England. Kato wanted to call attention to the struggles of immigrants, and the racism they often face.
Kato was born in Uganda, and moved to England at age 10. He’s used to running, and normally works as a running coach.
(Source: Deo Kato )
In 2020, Kato began a 381-day program of running at least 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) daily. That effort was meant to call attention to racism. He chose 381 days because that’s how long African Americans boycotted the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s, fighting to be treated fairly.
Kato hoped the run from Cape Town to London would also take 381 days. Instead, the roughly 8,000-mile (12,875-kilometer) trip wound up taking 518 days.
He set off on July 24, 2023, starting at a monument honoring Nelson Mandela. For the next year and five months, Kato ran north through Africa and Europe.
The run was long and hard. He ran through dangerous places where wars were being fought. At times he got sick. He was put in jail in South Sudan. He also faced racism, especially in Europe.
(Source: Deo Kato )
But Kato also had many good experiences. In some places children ran along with him for miles. Lots of supporters showed up to greet him when he finally arrived in London.
Kato says his run showed him that migration can help connect people and improve everyone’s lives. He believes that one day the world will be free from racism.
Hilde Dosogne Runs a Marathon Every Day for a Year
Finishing a marathon – a 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) race – is always special. But the marathon that Hilde Dosogne finished on December 31, 2024 was extra-special: it was the last of the 366 marathons she had run in 2024.
Last year, Dosogne, a 55-year-old scientist, ran a marathon every day, all year long. She also raised over $75,000 for breast cancer research.
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Finishing a marathon – a 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) race – is always special. But the marathon that Hilde Dosogne finished on December 31, 2024 was extra-special: it was the last of the 366 marathons she had run in 2024. Above, the finish of Hilde Dosogne’s final marathon of 2024.
Running 366 marathons means running 9,596 miles (15,444 kilometers). But Dosogne ran even farther – she ran a little extra every day, just to make sure she had covered enough distance.
Dosogne went to work early, to make sure she had time for a four-hour marathon every afternoon. Even though she ran most of her marathons on a flat path around a lake near Ghent, Belgium, Dosogne faced lots of challenges.
She ran in all kinds of weather. She caught flu and COVID. And she got lots of blisters. Once, she fell two-thirds of the way through a marathon and hurt her finger. When she got out of the hospital that day, she ran a whole new marathon, rather than completing the one she had started.
(Source: Peter Vens, via Hilde Dosogne.)
She says the running was hard on her body, but that remaining determined to keep going was even harder. “I’m glad it’s over,” she said at the end of the final race. Dosogne was asked if she would encourage anyone else to try it. “Definitely not,” she replied.
But that doesn’t mean she’s giving up running. In September, she’s planning on running a 153-mile (246-kilometer) race in Greece.
Did You Know…?
Both Deo Kato and Hilde Dosogne were raising money to support causes they believe in. If you’d like to learn more about their fund-raising efforts, you can find details here:
Deo Kato
Hilde Dosogne