Nairobi City Marathon: World-class field chases Sh3.5m prize

Veteran 2012 Boston Marathon champion Sharon Cherop and 2020 Los Angeles Marathon champion Margaret Wangari have thrown down the gauntlet to their female rivals in the fourth Nairobi City Marathon on this morning in the Kenyan capital.

The 2023 Honolulu Marathon champion Paul Lonyangata, 2023 Malaga Marathon winner Charles Mneria and 2019 Tokyo Marathon silver medallist Bedan Karoki take the battle to defending champion Eliud Magut in the men’s race.

The men’s and women’s marathon races will start at 6.45am with the half marathon (21km) starting at 8.15am.

For the first time, the race will start and end at Uhuru Park with winners of the men’s and women’s marathon pocketing Sh3.5m each, the richest prize money in Eastern Africa. Second placed finishers will pocket Sh2.5 million and third Sh1.5 million.

Cherop, 41, the 2011 world marathon bronze medallist, finished 30th in the Boston Marathon on April 21 while Wangari, the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, is making a return to the race after two years.

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Wangari, who claimed a second-place finish at Prague Marathon on May 7, 2023, was involved in a road accident two months later. The injuries she incurred kept her away from athletics for two years.

“I have since recovered and ready to roll. It feels great to be back. I want to gauge how the body will respond at high altitude,” said the 39-year-old Wangari who has a personal best time of 2:23:52 attained in Prague in 2023.

She said she was also looking forward to representing Kenya for the second time in marathon at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

“Age is catching up with young athletes coming through but we shall put our best foot forward. As they say, fine wine matures with age ,” said Cherop, who finished third in the inaugural 2022 race then called the Uhuru Classic Nairobi City Marathon, with a time of 2:29:37. 

Cherop, the 2000 World Under-20 5,000m bronze medallist, boosts of a good outing in marathon, having finished second at the 2013 Berlin Marathon in personal best 2:22:28 and third at 2011 and 2013 Boston Marathon races.

Arm wrestling fest

Also in the women’s contest is the 2014 Commonwealth Games marathon champion Philomena Cheyech, 2024 Honolulu Marathon silver medallist Sandrafelis Chebet, 2023 Seville Marathon champion Jackline Chelai and Africa 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Leah Jeruto.

Cheyech finished in seventh place in 2:45:48 at Linz Marathon, Austria on April 13. Her personal best time is 2:21:22 that earned her third place in the 2017 Paris Marathon. 

Chebet finished sixth at Daegu Marathon last year in 2:26:57. She run a personal best time of 2:22:22 on her marathon debut in Shanghai 2023, placing fourth. 

The men’s race could be on arm wrestling fest with Magut returning to defend his title against a fine field. He won in Nairobi last year in a time of 2:09: 47, as Josphat Bett finished second in 2:10:01 as Emmanuel Sikuku sealed the third spot in 2:20:05. Bett has also returned, no doubt aiming to go one better.

Lonyangata returned from an 18 months doping ban and finished second at Changsha Marathon in China in 2023 in 2:09:49 before winning Honolulu Marathon the same year in 2:15:42. He placed eighth at Daegu Marathon in Korea in April last year, his last marathon race before today’s showdown.

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Mneria, who moved to marathon running in 2022, has a personal best of 2:08:54 from his victory in 2023 Malaga. He finished third at Stramilano Half Marathon in March this year before retaining his Kenya Prisons 10,000m title for the third time last month.

Competitions Director Kennedy Tanui revealed that the theme for this year’s marathon is “I Love Nairobi.” 

Dubbed “the only marathon run in the sky,” the route is almost entirely on the Nairobi Expressway.

The route starts at Uhuru Park, near Intercontinental Hotel and Parliament, proceeds along Uhuru Highway to Museum Hill, into the Nairobi Expressway heading west past James Gichuru, Red Hill, and Quickmart. After a U-turn, runners re-enter the Expressway at the Westlands Toll Station and head toward the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport exit.

They make a final U-turn and run on a dedicated stretch built for the marathon, exiting at Haile Selassie, pass Central Park, and finish along Processional Way next to Uhuru Park.

Around 15,000 runners from 75 nationalities are expected to participate.