Athletics Kenya has announced details of the second edition of the First Lady’s Half Marathon – the anchor event for the Beyond Zero Campaign- at a press briefing that followed a meeting of the marathon’s Local Organizing Committee (LOC) held at the Nyayo National Stadium.
The 2015First Lady’s Half Marathon – which targets to bring together over 40,000 participants – will take place on the 8th of March this year in Nairobi and will feature a wheelchair race for the physically disabled as a new component of the marathon which is now in its second year.
Speaking at the occasion, Athletics Kenya Secretary General, David Okeyo, said that the marathon – which will now be comprised of four races: 21km, 10 km, 2km and the wheelchair event– will be flagged off at Uhuru Highway next to Nyayo Stadium with the runners proceeding towards the CBD.
Unveiling the marathon route, Okeyo confirmed that the 21 and 10 km race would see participants use the Haile Selassie, Uhuru Highway Road About – Railways Sports Club – Community – City Mortuary Round About – T-mall Round About – 21KM turning point (Langata road) – General Motors(turn-around point) – Finish.
This year’s marathon targets to raise Kshs 600 million which will go towards buying 27 fully-kitted mobile clinics which will be distributed to the counties that are yet to benefit from the proceeds accrued from the first edition of the marathon.
The winner of the 21 km race for both men and women will take home Kshs 750,000 as prize money, with the runners up taking home Kshs 500,000 and third-placed athlete taking home Kshs 250,000.
The winner of the 10 km race for both men and women will take home Kshs 250,000 as prize money, with the runners up taking home Kshs 100,000 and third-placed athlete taking home Kshs50,000.
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and her training team have already embarked on training for
the marathon which is slightly just over three weeks away.
The First Lady Half Marathon is aimed at raising awareness of – and seeking sponsorship forthe
Beyond Zero campaign; an endeavor by the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Her
Excellency Margaret Kenyatta, to reduce cases of mother and child mortality cases at birth.
The 2014 First Lady Half Marathon helped raise Kshs 200 million shillings that have gone into buying, and equipping, mobile clinics for all the 47 counties across the country.
So far, the First Lady has been delivering the mobile clinics to Counties based on the intensity of HIV/AIDs, maternal mortality and child mortality burden.
Preparations for the Marathon are in earnest with registration ongoing at Nakumatt,
Uchumi, Nairobi Sports House and Equity Bank Branches country wide at Ksh 1,500 for individual participants and Kshs 100,000 for corporate participants of between five and ten individuals.