The third edition of the Nairobi City marathon, which went down on Sunday, 8th September 2024, and ran along the Express Way , lived up to the billing of an international marathon, attracting 12,639 participants who competed in the four categories.
A total of 3,058 participants competed in the 6 km fun run, while the 10 km attracted 5,244 competitors.
The half marathon category saw 1,103 female athletes and 2,596 male athletes take part, as 147 women and 596 men competed for the core event, the 42 km marathon.
Eliud Magut and Cynthia Jerotich Limo were crowned the marathon champions in 2:09:47 and 2:28:02 hours, respectively, scooping the top prize of Ksh 3.5 million each out of the total purse prize of Ksh 24 million.
Robert Kiprop and Marion Kibor won the 21km races, while Amos Kipkemoi and Edinah Kibiwott emerged victorious in the 10km events.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and his Permanent Secretary, Eng. Peter Tum, were among the government officials who participated in the 10 km races.
Sunday’s marathon registered the biggest entries in the history of any Kenyan marathon, with participants braving the chilly weather to jig, jog, and run in along the Nairobi streets as well as along the Express Way.
Apart from the elite athletes who were competing for prize money, over 75% of the registered participants were running for fun and enjoyed jogging along the Express Way, which gave them a scenic view of the city in the sun.
It was also a family outing for many, as parents accompanied by their children also participated, with some accompanied with their pets.
Foreign athletes also turned up in numbers to participate in the four races among them from Tanzania, Uganda, Canada, South Africa, the UK, USA,Ghana,Belgium,Italy Poland,Colombia,Australia,France, Spain and China, just mention a few.
All the podium finishers across the four categories believed it was a turning point in their running careers as they set sights on future international marathons and road races as well as change in fortune after bagging the prize money.
In summary, it was a full-fun day Sunday with at least something for each attendee to enjoy, from music, entertainment, refreshments ,dancing and physical exercises.
Thanks to the Golazo, the event organisers, as everything fell into place from the starts of all races, the electronic timing, route guides, security, and first aiders all delivered, and in the end, the 3rd edition of the Nairobi City Marathon left a good taste in the mouths of each participant and a permanent memory irrespective of their reason for participating on Sunday.
The sponsors also played a pivotal role as the funds went a long way into the organisation of the race for a 3rd year running as well as paying prize money.
Athletics Kenya, who were the owners of the event, kudos! as the race was a true testament of Kenya’s ability to be one of the major road races in the near future to the calibre of a gold label, elite label, platinum label, or road race label.
