Focus turns to Mara marathon

By Mutwiri Mutuota

The bowels of northern tip of the expansive world famous Maasai Mara will play host to a unique event on Sunday.

Some 300 runners, among them Maasai Morans, will compete in the inaugural Masai Mara Marathon where participants will run through one of the most scenic courses ever designed for road racing.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, organiser and former double world 800m champion, Billy Konchellah, summed the event as "nothing like this has ever been started. We aim at bringing cohesion between people and wildlife, sensitising the Masai on sanitation and wiping out illiteracy."

Maasai Mara Marathon organiser and former world 800m champion Billy Konchellah addresses the Press on Tuesday. Photo: Jonah Onyango

He added: "We want to tap the huge running talent among the Maasai and in future, hope to see more runners from the community coming up to compete at the London 2012 Olympics."

He distanced the event from Maasai Mara International Marathon held in September organised by Mara Education Fund saying: "We have nothing to do with them but we welcome working together to ensure development of athletics."

Huge sponsorship

Due to lack of huge sponsorship, winners in the main 21km individual men and women’s races will take home Sh40,000 with Sh20,000 and Sh10,000 reserved for second and third finishers.

The first local athletes across the line will bag Sh10,000 in the event expected to draw runners from South and North Rift regions.

Podium finishers in the 5km individual and corporate races will bag Sh10,000 (first), Sh7,500 (second) and Sh5,000 (third) with the leading local athlete pocketing Sh10,000.

The 10km race planned to be part of the event roster was withdrawn for lack of sponsorship. A javelin competition purely to harness emerging talent from a community known to be good with spears will be held alongside the races. Registration began on Tuesday and will close on race day.

Lucrative race

Despite what would be considered as a less lucrative race with prizes on offer, the Mara Marathon will see competitors mingle with wild animals such as gazelle, zebra, wildebeest and with a fat chance, the King of the Jungle, the lion.

Beginning at the Maasai Mara Safari Club, runners will tackle the breathtaking plains just below Kileleoni Hills of Kuluo, Wuanga, Njapit and Ngerende before branching to the Engende Airstrip and back to the starting point for the finish.

Police officers, rangers and Maasai Morans will throw a security cordon for the athletes who will also have an opportunity to sample the lush Oljororua Conservancy founded by the late paramount chief, Lerionka ole Ntutu where they will get a chance to see the imported rare white rhino and hippos, among others.

 

 

Read all about: maasai Mara marathon Billy Konchellah Athletics Kenya London marathon Boston marathon

 

 

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