Nairobi Marathon is back after Covid enforced hiatus

Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon will be staged in 2021 after race organizers and the Ministry of Sports came to an understanding over modalities with which it should be staged. The race was canceled last year as the novel Corona virus ravaged the world with host city Nairobi going under lockdown.

Standard Chartered Bank CEO and Chairman of the Marathon Local Organising Committee, Peter Gitau had a courtesy call with the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage, and Culture of Kenya, Amb. Amina Mohamed and officially passed an invite to the marathon.

The SCB Kenya team is keen on ensuring that all covid protocols are strictly adhered to and has incorporated personnel from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sports as part of their Local Organizing Committee. The marathon launch is set to take place mid-July at the Nairobi Arboretum.

Since its inception in 2003, the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon has grown to become the largest single-day sporting event putting Kenya on the world map.

Elite athletes use it as a springboard to launch their international careers. Over 17 editions, the marathon has hosted over 250,000 runners and continues to reinforce its status as a ‘Big City Marathon’.

In 2019 alone, the marathon had about 17,000 participants across five race categories: 42km Full Marathon, 21km Half Marathon, 21km Wheelchair Race, 10km, and the 5km Family Fun Run.

The 2019 marathon edition raised over KES 30 million shillings towards the FutureMakers Initiative. This global Standard Chartered Bank initiative is aimed at raising 50 million USD by 2023 towards reducing inequality and increasing economic inclusion for the younger generation.

The resources put into this initiative have allowed 4,400 girls to undergo life skills and entrepreneurial training.