International Marathon : Afowiri Fondzenyuy Enters Guinness World Records

Cameroonian-born marathoner, Afowiri Kizito Fondzenyuy is celebrating his first Guinness World Record Award after completing the 2024 Tokyo Marathon in Japan. Making the announcement last month, Guinness World Records wrote on its website (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/651856-fastest-marathon-wearing-a-toghu-male): “The fastest marathon wearing a Toghu (male) is 4 hrs 24 mins 2 secs, and was achieved by Afowiri Fondzenyuy (USA), in Tokyo, Japan, on 2 March 2024.” 
The plaque for the award will be handed over to Fondzenyuy by Guinness World Records at a special ceremony in the coming weeks. “Afowiri has run five marathons in Toghu attire. He made previous attempts at some Abbott World Marathon Majors races before breaking the record at the Tokyo Marathon,” the announcement went further.
Affori’s objective is to raise $25,000 (about 15.2 million FCFA) to help in the reconstruction of 10 bridges in Ngondzen village in Bui Division of the North West Region. Out the amount, Fondzenyuy raised about $5,000 (just over 3 million FCFA) while running the 2024 Tokyo Marathon. The broken down and dilapidated bridges, which are made of tree trunks and wood, are death traps that can no longer carry cars. 
Afowiri, 51, has so far completed 16 international marathons, covering a total distance of 673 km. He ran five of them wearing Toghu, the heavily embroidered traditional attire of the Grassfields people of Cameroon. A feat which has since earned him the traditional title of “Nformi Kilé” (“General of runners” or “the Toghu Marathoner”), awarded by the Fon of Nso, Sehm Mbinglo II. 
Afowiri runs international marathons to raise money for community development causes in Cameroon through his Amom Foundation. The foundation has so far carried out education assessment research, rebuilt schools, offered desks and reading material to school children. Afowiri’s current campaign is to raise money to reconstruct 10 dilapidated and broken down bridges in Ngondzen village.
The starting point of Afowiri’s Running to Build Bridges, RBB Project is the reconstruction of bridges in Lun and Tsenmah neighbourhoods of Ngondzen. The village is located 17 km North of Kumbo, the Bui Divisional headquarters. When completed, the ...