The fourth edition of the Nairobi City Marathon, set for Sunday, July 6, boasts Africa’s largest marathon prize purse, with winners of the 42km race earning Ksh3.5 million. Second and third-place finishers will receive Ksh2.25 million and Ksh1.5 million, respectively, while the top 20 athletes will also claim cash prizes, with the 20th-place finisher taking home Ksh30,000.
This year’s event, themed “I Love Nairobi” and nicknamed “The only marathon run in the sky” due to its Nairobi Expressway route, has drawn 15,000 participants so far—a 2,000 increase from last year—with hopes of reaching 16,000. The race will start at Uhuru Park, a change from the usual Nyayo Stadium.Runners from over 70 countries, including 375 from China, 103 from India, and others from Britain, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Japan, underscore the marathon’s rising global appeal. Organizers, led by Athletics Kenya’s Jackson Tuwei, aim to position the event among the World Marathon Majors, with the substantial prize money as a major draw.
Last year, Eliud Magut won the men’s 42km in 2:09:47, followed by Josphat Bett (2:10:01) and Emmanuel Sikuku (2:10:05). In the women’s race, Cynthia Jerotich led with a time of 2:28:02, ahead of Lilian Chebii (2:28:29) and Peris Jerono (2:30:44). The half-marathon titles went to Robert Kiprop (1:00:56) and Marion Kibor (1:08:55) for the men’s and women’s races, respectively.
