Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed on Thursday, April 28, announced the official launch of the inaugural Nairobi City Marathon.
In a statement seen by teamkenya.co.ke, the CS announced that the Nairobi City Marathon will be known as the Uhuru Classic.
The first edition of the competition is slated for Sunday, May 8, 2022, along the newly-built Nairobi Expressway. She noted that the event will be held annually for the next 10 years.
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“The marathon will be held every year for the next ten years in commemoration of the tremendous milestones that H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta has achieved during his ten-year tenure, and the incremental reforms that he has instituted in the sports sector to streamline governance, enhance transparency, and nurture talent,” her statement read.
CS Amina further divulged that the race will give the country an opportunity to showcase the Nairobi National Park,
“It will also be an opportunity for us to showcase the scenic beauty of Nairobi City and the expansive Nairobi National Park – which is the only city national park in the world, share with the world our rich cultural heritage and the warmth of the Kenyan people, and market Kenya as a top tourist destination,” part of her statement read.
Amina noted that the competition will be held in compliance with international guidelines as established by the World Athletics and the Association of International Marathons (AIMS).
She also announced that the race will be certified by the Association of Road Runners which is part of the World Athletics Events.
The event will have three categories, namely the 10Km, the half marathon, and the full marathon with participants from 120 countries expected to be part of the competition.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that her ministry is in the stages of ensuring the race achieves high status like Boston Marathon, New York Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon among others.
The Uhuru Classic will join the list of other successful sports events that have been held in Kenya like the World Athletics Under 18 Championships, Continental Tour (known as Kip Keino Classic), African Deaflympics Ball Games Qualifiers, the Safari Rally, the Africa Rally Championships, Tong-IL Moo-Doo Global Championships, and the World Athletics Under 20 Championships.
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