Muthui, Akinyi expected to defend positions as Hotoso 12km Beach Run attracts over 600 athletes

Participants during Hotoso Games at the Kenyan coast last year [PHOTO: COURTESY]

John Muthui and Connet Akinyi are expected to defend their positions at the fourth edition of Hospitality and Tourism Sports Organisation (Hotoso) 12km Beach Run in Kilifi County this weekend.

The duo will battle it out with other 600 participants who have registered for the race with lucrative prizes and a glittering trophy to boot.

The race to be held at Watamu Beach on Sunday is opened to elite and upcoming athletes from all over the country. There will also be a children’s 6km Beach Run with good prizes to be contested.

Apart from the athletics, Hotoso who have partnered with the Kenya Coast Tourism Association, will also stage a beach volleyball and beach football contest where the winners will be rewarded handsomely.

Kenya Airways are expected to defend the beach football category they won last year by edging Bamburi Stars 3-2 on post match penalties as Kenya wild Life Service’s settled for third place. The national careers are also the beach volleyball defending champions, a feat they achieved by defeating Bamburi Stars by three straight sets to nil in the finals. 

“The athlete’s registration is still ongoing and we look forward to have a successful event this year,” said Hotoso representative David Ndemo Nyakundi who is based at the Nairobi Parklands Club.

Nyakundi said the aim of the games is to create awareness on the importance of sports at the same time use sports to market Kenya as a tourist destination.

“The fastest way to market the country is through sports since it is a bigger and popular industry. We have always chosen athletics in our games since Kenya is best known to be a powerhouse in the discipline,”said Nyakundi.

The Hotoso organizers said they also wanted to lure tourists into having other alternatives during their visits to Kenya.

“We have noted that many tourists focus  majorly on visiting the Maasai Mara  game reserves but we also wants to let them know that they can visit the Sandy beaches in Mombasa and play various sports like volleyball, football and soccer while touring the alternative sites,”Nyakundi explained.