Big show on in Eldoret: Focus on prize purse in the Kass International Marathon

After a year's wait, many will line up on the streets to watch, cheer or conquer their fears as the athletes put their best foot forward this morning in the Kass International Marathon.

The athletes will be up early to line up against the world's road running exponents at the eighth Kass Marathon at the starting point outside Kapsabet Boys High School.

And minutes later, the lanky lean runners will begin an impossibly but brilliant battle under the enchanted gaze of thousands lining up along the Kapsabet-Eldoret road.

But millions more will be watching the LIVE broadcast on KTN, catching up with the latest results in the papers and on the internet.

But that aside, for the athletes, it will be do or die to shake off shackles of poverty and conquer their personal fears.

For some, their dreams will come true but for others they will leave with bruised egos wandering what it might have been. All in all, the over 7,000 athletes will start off with a common goal, to return home first after a grueling and hilly 42km-distance.

A blunder from the start or getting tripped mid-way could make the difference between victory and loss — the difference of a lifetime. More than 7,000 runners will get down to an impossibly brilliant battle at the competition to be staged on a new course.

The race starts at Kapsabet Boys High School and end at Eldoret Sports Club, unlike in the past editions where it started two kilometres from Kapsabet town and ended at Uasin Gishu County headquarters in Eldoret town.

The race organisers have introduced a running chip, which will tagged on the athletes shoes to track their movements in four areas after every 10km along the course.

"The chip will minimise cheats, assist the media in updates and help international coaches in monitoring their athletes' progression during the race," Julius Lamaon, the Kass Media Group CEO, said.

Geoffrey Mutai, who posted the world's fastest unofficial time of 2:03.02 in Boston last in 2010, finished second at the inaugural Kass Marathon showdown in 2007.

Winners take home Sh1.5 million, second position Sh500,000, third place-finishers Sh250, 000 and prizes trickle down to the tenth finisher.