BUEA, Cameroon (GPI)-- Sarah Liengu Etonge, 47, did not finish primary school because her family could not afford it. Married at a young age and a mother by the time she turned 14, she says she relied on her first husband for financial support. But he died when her youngest child was still a toddler, she says. Suddenly, she found herself unable to provide for her seven children in Buea, the capital of Cameroon’s Southwest region. Desperate, she registered for one of Cameroon’s premier sporting events: the Race of Hope. Winners claim a significant monetary prize. The annual race loops around the summit of Mount Cameroon, an active volcano that is also West Africa’s highest peak. The course is approximately 42 kilometers (26.1 miles). “The death of my husband, coupled with the burden of looking after seven children, forced me to enroll as an athlete for the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope,” Etonge says. “When I registered, I was determined I was going to make it someday because I needed the money to take care of my seven children.” She took a chance on her athletic ability, she says, and it paid off. She won first place, taking home 1.5 million Central African francs ($3,000). Etonge says that she does not have a good mind for years, dates and times. But there is one thing she does know: She has run the grueling course 10 times and has won seven of them. In 2005, race organizers decreed that any racer who wins first place three times in a row would assume the title of King or Queen of the Mountain. Thanks to Etonge’s four consecutive wins between 1996 and 1999, she became the only participant, male or female, to earn the race’s royal title. “Even though I did not go to school,” she says with a broad smile, “God has made me to use my talent as an athlete to become successful in life.” Despite multiple wins, Etonge withdrew from the race following the homicide of her son in 2009. The trauma of his death, which remains unresolved, kept her from competing for three years, she says. But in February 2013, the Queen of the Mountain returned to the Race of Hope in a triumphant comeback to win second place. In addition to the prize money, Ethiopian Airlines gave her tickets for a trip to Paris. The Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, in partnership with the Cameroon Athletics Federation, organizes the Race of Hope once a year. The first three men and women to finish win monetary prizes. Winners now take home 3 million francs ($6,000). Competitors win 2 million francs ($4,000) for second place and 1 million francs ($2,000) for third place. Etonge’s feats have not only lifted her and her family from poverty. They have also inspired her community. Thomas Ngomba, 59, a resident of Buea, says he wakes up early on race day each year to watch Etonge take off up the mountain and waits to watch her return.
Advertisement
