The Nairobi Standard Chartered Marathon is back and will be held physically, turning away from the initial virtual race just like last year.
The race organizer Chairman Peter Gitau announced that apart from the physical race, there will also be the virtual one for those who may not be able to run. “Because of Covid-19 protocols, we’re limited to the number of people who can participate in the physical marathons. This is why we have also introduced a virtual one,” Gitau said.
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) to be part of the centers to host the virtual race of the Standard Chartered Marathon. The University will be among other centers identified globally to host the 18th edition of the marathon which has now adopted a hybrid format due to Covid 19 pandemic.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Bank Kariuki Ngari said the virtual marathon will be held between 25th and 31st October 2021.The physical race will be held on October 31st in Nairobi. Ngari was speaking to final year students at the institution during a forum on mentoring tomorrow’s leaders which was also broadcasted live via social media platforms across the globe.
He said participants will contribute Sh. 1,000 which will go towards their future makers program, a mentorship program for students to prepare them to be ready for the job market. The mentorship program will focus on employability, entrepreneurship and education. Ngari said as they will be preparing students on how to get jobs, they will also be preparing them on how to succeed when they venture into entrepreneurship.
He added that Southern Bypass will be part of the race as well as Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway and Forest Road. The start and finish points will be at the Carnivore Grounds and will feature different race categories: 10km, 21km, 21km Wheelchair Race, 42km and the 42km Corporate Relay. In an enforced break with the past due to Covid-19 protocols, this year’s race will feature 2,500 elite athletes, down from numbers of close to 20,000 in pre-Covid days.
Joshua Omukata, Nairobi Traffic Police Commander, said they have designed an elaborate traffic management plan to ensure minimal inconvenience and disruption to road users.
“We have organised traffic diversions to ensure that residents have access to alternative routes during the stipulated marathon hours. The Southern Bypass users are advised to use alternative routes provided. We request that the public cooperates with our traffic officers deployed along the roads for smooth flow of traffic,” Omukata said.