Elisha Kiprop Barno ran away with his second title at the 18th edition of the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon that was held on Sunday 31st at Carnivore Grounds in Nairobi. The 36 year-old made two after winning the 2018 edition and today he beat a strong field to make it two with a time of 2:11.09 which is his fastest time at this race.
Elisha Kiprop expressed his joy at winning saying, “I am very pleased to have participated in this year’s marathon. I commenced training in June and it’s good to see the results of my hard work. I look forward to continuous growth in my athletic journey with hopes to participate in international marathons as well.’’ said Barno. Kiprop, who started his training in June, also expressed his joy; "It feels great to win again but I would like to focus on my training before competing again," he added.
The women's 42km race was won by Valentine Kipketer in a time of 2:30:01. Naomi Maiyo finished second over two minutes later with a time of 2:32:22. Beatrice Cheptoo fought off a strong challenge from Rebecca Cheptegei of Uganda to finish third in 2:32:33. Cheptegei followed three seconds later.
In her post-race remarks, Valentine said that she registered for the marathon after missing the deadline for the Amsterdam Marathon. "After failing to compete in the Amsterdam marathon, I decided to compete in this marathon and I am happy to win in my first attempt," she said. Commenting on her 42Km win, Valentine also added, ‘’This was my first time participating in the Standard Chartered Marathon and I am very pleased with my performance. I have been training for a better part of the year with a couple of teammates and I was confident that I was well trained and prepared for the race. I look forward to participating in other races including international ones.’’
Winners in both categories each walked away with Ksh2 million. In the men's 21km half marathon race, Vincent Ng'etich won the race after crossing the finish line in a time of 1:01:44 with Rhonzas Kilimo coming second in a time of 1:00:59. Peter Kipsirat finished third in a time of 1:00:59.
Peris Engambi won the women’s 21km event in a time of 1:12:59 with Abigael Jelimo finishing second in a time of 1:13:41. Lilian Jebii came third after clocking 1:14:32.
In the men's 21km wheelchair race, Samuel Kuria defended his crown, while John Wambua finished second in his maiden appearance. Milton Ilahuya was third. Kuria finished with a time of 1:31:09. Wambua finished six minutes later in 1:37:15, while Ilahuya clocked 1:40:20. The women's wheelchair race was won by Caroline Wanjira who clocked 2:11:58. Rahel Akoth Alar was second in 2:23:05. Eunice Atieno came in third at 2:39:10. The National Police Service won the Corporate Relay. The Kenya Forest Service were second as KDF wound up third.
The marathon made a comeback this year after it was cancelled in 2020 due to unprecedented challenges brought about by COVID-19 and the containment measures required. Sh 11.5m prize money has been allocated to go to the top athletes in different race categories. All proceeds will be channeled towards the Future makers initiative which is Standard Chartered’s community initiative that supports women and youth through education, employability and entrepreneurship.