On April 17th, 2023, Afowiri Kizito Fondzenyuy (Kitz) nicknamed the Toghu marathoner completed the Boston Marathon (42.165 km – 26.2 miles) wearing Toghu, a native outfit with origins from the North-West Cameroon.
The Boston Marathon, known as the most prestigious marathon in the world, was run by 30,000 top world class runners and Kitz was one of them thanks to the support from many donors and supporters.
He said, “This will be one of the most memorable experiences in my life because I was cheered by over 500,000 people who were intrigued by the uniqueness of the Toghu attire”, an image he thinks they will never forget”.
He ran through 8 major cities (Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston) for 5 hours 18 minutes and covered by newspapers like the about in the Boston Globe, Boston.com and Charlotte Observer.
One of Afowiri’s goals of running the marathon was to raise money to help children with autism and empower under privileged kids both in Africa and America get better education. Thanks to his donors he succeeded in raising 121% above his fundraising target. He admitted that this marathon course (26.2miles) was unique and challenging because of its hilly topography, the cold weather and heavy downpour of rain that soaked and increased the weight of his Toghu attire.
He ignored the many challenges because he knew that crossing the finish line would mean a lot to his culture, his family, country of birth – Cameroon and for everyone who has been behind him from inception.
Afowiri recently turned 50 years and hopes to encourage more people of all ages to join him and run marathons as a way to stay fit.
Being his 15th marathon and covering 393 miles (633 km) since he started his marathon journey, Afowiri timidly admits his multiple records.
- The only man in the world to complete a marathon in Toghu,
- First person to run complete a marathon in Toghu on US soil.
- The fastest person to complete a marathon in Toghu Marathoner (5 hrs.18 mins)
- First person to complete the authentic Greece marathon in Toghu (from Marathon village to Athens)
He also attempted to set the Guinness world record in the London, Athens and Boston Marathons to become the fastest person to run a marathon in Toghu.
Afowiri admitted that “It was also good for spectators recognize me because they have been following the Toghu Marathoner buzz. It made me feel like I have the entire world behind me; it is amazing”.
On his future on the track, Afowiri said that he will keep running to raise funds as well as present the beautiful Toghu attire to all 6 continents of the world through marathons.
He added that “there will always be a problem to solve in education, health, research and lots more, but his focus is on special needs for children.
“I plan to keep running marathons till the evening of my years or as much as my body can carry me”.
“I thank everyone who has been backing me since the journey began. I am super grateful and excited that I had had wonderful people around me especially my family and close friends”, the Toghu Marathoner said.
