What went down at the London screening of STEPS: Deo Kato’s Run for Justice

After enduring nearly 13,500 km (8,300 miles) across two continents over 17 months, Ugandan-born runner Deo Kato is back in the UK to tell his story. Last night, friends, relatives and collaborators gathered at Rich Mix in Shoreditch to watch his journey play out on the big screen.

As guests arrived, the bar bustled with reunions and introductions. Drinks were poured, photos snapped, hugs exchanged between friends who’ve connected through Deo. They’re here for a screening of STEPS, TCO’s short documentary tracing Kato’s near-unfathomable run from Cape Town to London. On screen, Deo runs. And runs. And runs some more – a marathon a day, for over a year. As the film unfolds, the scale of what he endured comes into focus: arrest and detention in Sudan, serious illness, relentless exhaustion, and the grinding suspicion and racism he encountered as he moved through Europe.

When the lights come up, many in the room brush away tears. For many of those closest to him, it’s the first time they’ve seen the full extent of the journey laid bare. Among the audience is Deo’s daughter, who appears in the film tearfully recounting the fear of not knowing where her father was during the weeks he went missing in Sudan. Now, she watches on proudly.

• Read next: Imprisonment, illness, internal strife: Deo Kato’s mammoth run for justice

As the credits roll, Kato joins director, and friend, Phil Young on stage for a Q&A. At first, the hugeness of his achievement seems lost on the runner: ​“It was a bit of a challenge,” he says of his 317 consecutive marathons. But he speaks candidly about the psychological toll: ​“My therapist is in the audience,” he laughs, ​“so that helps.” For all the lightness now, there were make-or-break moments over the run. Asked when he first considered calling it quits, he answers: ​“On the plane to South Africa.”

Then there was the part that came after the finish line. Returning home, Deo had to embark on the next gargantuan task of readjusting to his old life. ​“I was definitely depressed,” he says. 

As the guests file out, Deo is hugged and congratulated from all sides. For all its physical extremity, his story is ultimately an adrenaline-fuelled scramble for belonging – across places that didn’t always accept him. In STEPS, his daughter speaks about not feeling like a ​“proper Londoner” as a Black woman. But here to watch, a community from London, Uganda and beyond has formed around him. Asked about his biggest takeaway from the whole experience, Deo replies: ​“The world is a lot kinder than it is online.” 

• Read next: The rogue runners taking on New York state

STEPS: Deo Kato’s Run For Justice, directed by Phil Young is produced by TCO in partnership with adidas TERREX.

Ella Glossop is Huck’s social editor. Follow her on Bluesky.

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