Nairobi City Marathon: 14,000 runners fight for top honours
From left: Principal Secretary Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Peter Tum, athlete Ruth Chepngetich, AK president (Rtd) Lt Gen Jack Tuwei and Nairobi City Marathon Race Director Ibrahim Hussein displaying the marathon medals on September 4, 2024 in Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- Nyayo National Stadium, where the start and finish will be located, was a beehive of activity on Saturday.
- Competitors in the full marathon will be the first to take to the road at 6.45am from outside Nyayo Stadium.
Nairobi comes alive this morning as more than 14,000 athletes compete in the third edition of the Nairobi City Marathon from 6.45am.
Originally scheduled for July 7, the race has attracted over 14,000 participants, an increase of more than 1,000 from last year. Registration was expected to close last evening.
Participants will compete in the full marathon, the half marathon, and the 10-kilometre Expressway run, all of which have prize money, as well the six-kilometre fun run. Winners of the 42km races will take home Sh3.5 million, while winners of the 21km races will earn Sh150,000.
Nyayo National Stadium, where the start and finish will be located, was a beehive of activity on Saturday as some athletes rushed to beat the registration deadline.
Competitors in the full marathon (42km) will be the first to take to the road at 6.45am from outside Nyayo National Stadium on Uhuru Highway. One of the big names to watch out for in the men’s 42km race is 2007 world marathon champion Luke Kibet.
Top contenders
The 41-year-old has a personal best of two hours, eight minutes and 52 seconds from his third place at the Eindhoven Marathon in 2005.
However, defending champion Robert Kiplimo will be the man to beat in the category, which has also attracted 2020 Mombasa International Marathon winner Dismas Lotira, 2019 Bucharest Marathon champion Hosea Kipkemboi, 2017 Yangling Marathon runner-up Thomas Ekiru, among others.
Women’s 42km race champion, Naom Jebet, and Truphena Chepchirchir, who finished 14th last year, are some of the top contenders in the women’s category. Chepchirchir was fourth in the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon in March this year.
During the official launch of the Nairobi City Marathon last week, Langata Sub-County Police Commander Gregory Mutiso assured participants of enough security at the event.
Mary Kiarie, Deputy OCPD - Traffic Nairobi County, also released details of the roads that will be closed during the richest road race in Kenya where start and finish is Nyayo National Stadium.
Roads to be used by Nairobi City Marathon, include Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to ABC Place in Westlands, Uhuru Highway, Waiyaki Way, James Gichuru, Harry Thuku, University Way and Langata Road from T-Mall coming to Nyayo.
Prize money
Race Director Ibrahim Hussein assured athletes that Nairobi City Marathon conforms to World Athletics and Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) rules.
“The course is correct for the marathon and half marathon as measured. It means you can compare your times with races run all over the world because the course here is certified by World Athletics and AIMS,” Hussein said, adding that the 10km course was slightly longer by a few metres.
He said the starting point was moved from Aerodrome Road to Uhuru Highway because of the congestion witnessed last year.
The first 20 finishers in the 42km categories will pocket cash prizes ranging from Sh3.5 million reserved for the top-placed finishers, and Sh30,000 for the athletes who finish in 20th position.
The top six runners in the 21km races will be rewarded with between Sh150,000 and Sh20,000 in the order in which they finish.
The best six runners in the 10km category will go home with between Sh100,000 and Sh7,500, respectively.
