Seasoned Ethiopian runners enlist for Nairobi City race

Ethiopian and Tanzanian are among over 6,000 runners that have registered for the Nairobi City Marathon scheduled for Sunday in the Kenyan capital.

Seasoned distance runners Meseret Aragaw and Adisu Bekele from Ethiopia will race in the men’s 42 kilometres and will be joined by the Tanzanian duo of Raphael Tunu and Stephen Hadu.

Aragaw, who has a personal best of two hours 10 minutes and 09 seconds, finished second at the Taipei Marathon in 2021 and third last year.

Aragaw was also placed ninth at the Daegu International Marathon last year and won the H.C. Andersen Marathon in 2019 in Denmark.

Hadu managed a 10th place finisher at the 2019 Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid Marathon. Nairobi City Marathon chief executive Barnaba Korir said the four athletes are part of 80 foreign entries for the second edition of the race.

Registrations closes later this week and at least 20 more elite runners are expected to enter.

Elgeyo Marakwet’s Brimin Misoi will seek to retain the title he won in the inaugural edition last year. His success last year that came with prize money of Sh6.9 million saw him purchase four acres of land in Eldoret besides helping pay schools fees for some of his neighbours.

The women’s title commanded the same prize money and was won by Agnes Barsosio, who will not be defending her crown as she is injured. This year’s winners will pocketed a reduced cash prize of Sh3.5 million each.

The race will once again be staged on the Nairobi Expressway, and is still Africa’s richest marathon.

“We are registering at least 1,000 athletes daily and we should hit over 10,000 by Friday. Our Kenyan participants like signing up in the last days,” said Korir.

He said they were targeting over 15,000 entrants so as to surpass last year’s entry of 10,000. All the races will start at Douglas Wakiihuri Road (formerly Aerodrome Road) but will end at different points at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Korir said the collection of the participation package -- t-shirt, bib number and tote bags, will open tomorrow at the Nyayo National Stadium.

“We have introduced a Nairobi City Marathon Village for runners seeking to unwind, besides, we have a kids play area,” said Korir. He said that the Nairobi Expressway will be closed from Saturday 10pm to Sunday at 4pm.

Registration is ongoing online at nairobicitymarathon.com and at Riadha House, Parklands Sports Club and Karura Forest in Nairobi.

Entry fee for Kenyans is as follows: 42km (Sh1,500), 21km (Sh1,200), 10km (Sh1,000) and 6km (Sh500). Foreign entrants is charged as follows: 42km ($90), 21km ($60), 10km ($ 40) and 6km ($20).