Over 500 elite athletes to compete in Iten International Marathon

More than five hundred elite athletes are set to grace the second edition of the Iten International Marathon set to take place on Sunday, November 12. This edition promises to be a thrilling display of skill and talent.

The inaugural Iten International Marathon was held on Sunday 18 December 2022 in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County. Marathoners Samuel Naibei and Caroline Jepchirchir triumphed after a challenging 42km race on a high-altitude course from Chororget to Iten.

Despite the difficult track, the runners maintained outstanding speeds, with Naibei finishing in 2:08:43 and Jepchirchir taking the win at 2:28:33 to bag Ksh 1 million each.

This year's edition will be curtain-raised with a number of pre-race events which include kids' run, tug of war, and massive tree-planting exercises that will highlight the last few days of the marathon. It will also include the 42kms, 10kms, and 5kms races, making it even more competitive.

Athletes will be praying for favorable weather conditions when they are cruising the high-altitude course.

The winner of the inaugural (2022) edition Naibei said he is willing to fight tooth and nail to defend his title.

“I am looking forward to this year’s race. I have been training and working so hard for it. I cannot wait to compete against the top athletes who have already registered for the competition. It gives us an opportunity to push ourselves to the limit,” Naibei said.

Speaking in Iten during a media launch and unveiling of sponsors, Elgeyo Marakwet Sports Executive Purity Koima said the 2023 edition will be one of the biggest athletics shows. She said a total of 80 athletes would be awarded; the top 20 in each category in all three races.

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She further pointed out that the introduction of 10km and 5km races places the Marathon in the league of global events to watch. Elgeyo Marakwet County pumped Sh5 million into the race, becoming the title sponsor.

Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) was the title sponsor of the inaugural edition. The bank injected Sh1 million toward the event and is among the leading sponsors of the marathon.

"We are honored to host all our partners. It's the Governor's (Wisley Rotich) vision. He was wondering why Iten had no major race yet it produced world beaters in athletics. Many sponsors believed in us in an inaugural marathon that was planned in a record six weeks," Koima said.

Race Director Boniface Tiren was glad that the event made it to the Athletics Kenya calendar. He said the nature of preparations will position the race as an International Marathon. The course will start in Chororget in Keiyo South and end at the finish line in Iten. It will be manned by the police alongside a team of technical officials.

"I thank our coaches for preparing athletes well for the Iten International Marathon. I want to assure all our partners and stakeholders that we will stick to the rules. This is an international race and all measures are in place. All our technical officials are well prepared to deliver a successful race," he assured.

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