Expect more than racing in scenic Nakuru meeting

There is a lot of excitement in Nakuru town which is preparing to host its first ever marathon on Sunday.

The region has produced some of the best athletes in the world such as two-time Olympic 1,500 metres champion Faith Chepn’getich, Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Paul Tanui, Olympic 800m silver medallist Ferguson Rotich.

Others are the 2017 Boston Marathon champion, Geoffrey Kirui, and the 2013 world 5,000m  bronze medallist, Isaiah Kiplangat, among others.

The meet is expected to accelerate the changing face of the cosmopolitan Nakuru town that is gearing up for city status.

The Stanbic Bank-sponsored Nakuru City Half Marathon is scheduled to start at Stanbic Bank branch along Kenyatta Avenue. Runners  will pass through Shabab, Bondeni, Section 58 and the scenic Milimani area before heading to the town centre.

They will then join Oginga Odinga Road and complete the race at the iconic Rift Valley Sports Club which is celebrating its 114 years since it was started by British settlers.

The winners of the 21km race will pocket Sh500,000 while the winners of the 10km race will go home Sh100,000 richer.

There will also be prizes for the top 10 finishers in 21km and 10km races.

“Nakuru has a lot of talent, and the prizes are meant to reward our athletes and woo them into sporting activities as I believe sport is a great avenue to create jobs for our youths,” Nakuru County Governor Lee Kinyanjui said.

Athletics Kenya (AK) South Rift region branch secretary Japheth Kemei, who is one of the Local Organising Committee members of the race, said it is all systems go with four days left to the race.

“We have surveyed the route and I want to assure all the participants that it has been given a clean bill of health. I now urge the athletes from Nakuru and beyond to register in large numbers,” said Kemei.

Kemei said Nakuru City Marathon is unique as the runners will have a rare opportunity of viewing Lake Nakuru from the top of Menengai hill.

“The athletes will enjoy the view of Lake Nakuru as they descend down the foothills of Menengai hills. It’s a rare opportunity for runners,” said Kemei.

“I’m forseeing a situation in future where Nakuru City Marathon will be upgraded to full marathon because it is run along a tourist attraction corridor.”

Kemei exuded confidence that some of the top athletes from South Rift, North Rift and other parts of the country will participate in this inaugural race.

Road race coach Sammy Bii from Kericho said that he expects top road race runners from the region like Philip Lang’at to feature  in the race.

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