66 world-class runners enter Africa’s richest marathon

International distance runners Edwin Kiptoo and Ethiopian Haile Mekonnen are the latest elites to enter this year’s Nairobi City Marathon, the richest road race in Africa, scheduled for Sunday in the Kenyan capital.

It will be Kiptoo’s second marathon race this year, having finished seventh at Seoul Marathon on March 19 in two hours, 08 minutes and 56 seconds. Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn won the race in a personal best time of 2:05:27.

Kiptoo, who represented Kenya at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, opened the season with a fourth place finish at the International Guadalajara Half Marathon in Mexico in 1:01:54 on February 25.

The 29-year-old Kiptoo would then finish seventh in the Adizero Road to Records Half Marathon on April 29 in Germany where Adidas were launching their new road running shoes, Adidas Ultra Boost Light.

Kiptoo clocked 1:00:37 to finish 33 seconds behind the winner, Ethiopian Tadese Takele.

Kiptoo, who won the Mexico City Marathon and Marathon Comar de Tunis Carthage in Tunisia last year, has a personal best of 2:06:52 from a seventh place finish in Hamburg, Germany last year.

Mekonnen, 29, will be competing for the first time this year with his last race coming on November 27, last year when he settled for fourth spot in 2:14:14 at Zurich San Sebastián Marathon in Spain.

Nairobi City Marathon Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman Jack Tuwei disclosed Wednesday that Kiptoo, who is so far the fastest in the field and Mekonnen, were among 66 elite athletes who had registered for the race.

The elites were among 8,888 participants who had registered across the four categories of the races by noon Wednesday.

“We continued to draw elite attention from Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and local regions like Kapsabet, Iten and Eldoret,” said Tuwei during a press conference at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Tuwei, who was accompanied by the race CEO Barnaba Korir and Director Ibrahim Hussein, said that the entries for the race close Saturday midnight.

Winners will walk away with Sh3.5 million each. Also in the 42km mix are seasoned distance runners Joshua Kemboi, Simon Kipkosgei and Robert Kipkemboi.

Kemboi claimed bronze at the Tel Aviv Marathon in 2:13:50 on February 24 before finishing 13th at the Hamburg Marathon in 2:11: 01 on April 23 all this year.

Kemboi ran his personal best of 2:08:09 when he claimed the last podium place at the Eindhoven Marathon on October 9 last year.

Kipkosgei, the metric miler-cum-distance runner, has a career best of 2:07:07 from his second place at the 2021 Eindhoven Marathon. He is yet to compete since finishing sixth at Loop Den Haag Half Marathon on September 25 last year.

It will be Kipkemboi’s first race since winning the Istanbul Marathon in 2:10: 18 on November 6, last year.