Kenya: Athletics Association Plan to Set Up Marathon Majors

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

William Njuguna And Gideon Keter

11 May 2011

Athletics Kenya (AK) wants to come up with a management committee to set up a jackpot for the four major marathons in the country. Speaking yesterday, AK chairman Isaiah Kiplagat said they are finalising the details of the four marathons which will include Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret.

Kiplagat said they want to harmonise the prize money for all the marathons to be at par with one another.”You can’t one event offering prize money of Sh1.5 million and the other offering Sh200,000. There has to be uniformity across the board so that athletes can participate in the events,” added Kiplagat.

Kiplagat made the remarks as mobile phone provider Safaricom forked out Sh992,000 for the Mombasa International Marathon slated for this Sunday.

The winner of the marathon will pocket Sh200,000 with the second placed finisher going home with Sh100,000 in both men and women’s categories. The third placed runner will return home Sh50,000 richer.

The event has attracted Uganda top athletes including Alex Malinga, the winner of the event in 2003. Malinga placed fourth at the Athens Olympic Marathon in 2004. Also entering is another Ugandan Gerald Omondi.

The event organiser Jimmi Kisalu expects over 500 athletes to grace the event which is being sponsored for the second year running. Kisalu said they are also targeting tourists from the leading coastal hotels to run at the event this time around.”We are expecting a bumper entry not only from elite runners but also from tourists and other runners from across the region to attend the event,” he added.

Kisalu said the event will start at the Mombasa treasury square before snaking it’s way through Mama Ngina, Likoni, Ganjoni, Makupa roundabout, Railways, Jela Baridi and then head back to Makupa before cutting through Mombasa Polytechnic, Nyali Road, Mombasa Municipal, Mombasa Training Institute and St. John’s. The runners will then take Saba Saba highway, Makupa, Jela Baridi before finishing at the Treasury Square. He said there will also be a 10km race to spice up the proceedings of the day. Registration has been slashed from Sh1,000 to Sh300 to attract as many runners a possible.

Safaricom’s sponsorship director Wangui Kibe said the company was proud to be associated with the event which has nurtured some of the country’s top marathon runners in the recent past .

AllAfrica – All the Time