First Lady breaks her own track record for a noble cause

She improved her personal best time in the 21km race by a staggering 28:80 minutes.

Flanked by a retinue of VIPs and security team, the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta braved the scorching sun to finish the race in record time.

It was not an easy win, but one born of hard work. As Buddha once said, "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."

It was a victory that came from great will-power, months of training, and, above all, great love for Kenyan women and children.

That perhaps is the reason thousands of Kenyans lined up the streets to egg her on. That was the reason that even more people waited at the Nyayo Stadium to see her touch the finish line and share in her joy.

Finally, the clocked 3:34:55 in her race against time to save mothers and their children from needless deaths.

The First Lady demonstrated a high degree of intensity, which left her handlers agape as she motored along the Mombasa Road course.

"It was unbelievable!" the team's lead physiotherapist Japheth Kariakim said afterwards.

"What is incredible is her dedication to the training regime. With a VIP like her, you expect less of such commitment, but not with the First Lady," Kariakim said.

Mrs Kenyatta's zeal to raise awareness and money to help reduce mother and child mortality is what pushed her through the world of athletics. The race took on an important outlook, coming on a day that the world was celebrating the International Women's Day.

Perhaps realising the enormity of the task of raising money to help minimise the dangers associated with childbearing in rural areas, Mrs Kenyatta chose to run the big race.

As a show of support, Deputy President William Ruto and his wife Rachel lined up in the 10km race alongside Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Wario (Sports, Culture and the Arts), Joseph Nkaissery (Interior) and Anne Waiguru (Devolution) and senators Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet) and Nairobi's gold-wearing Senator Mike Sonko.

Still fresh from Iten where she attended an intensive training session for the race and running alongside her security team and her coach Douglas Wakiihuri, the First Lady looked resilient all the way.

Bouyed by an electrifying atmosphere with fans from all walks of life, sending the 35,000 capacity stadium into delirium as their sonorous cheers livened the air, Mrs Kenyatta gave a performance of a lifetime.

Excited local and foreign fans, most of them clad in purple T-Shirts, contested the second edition of the First Lady Half Marathon, which attracted 20,000-plus participants,  all for the noble cause of reducing maternal and child mortality.

At one point, the First Lady waved to the excited fans who lined up along the roads.

The First Lady elicited cheers from crowds when she acknowledged herself as "a fellow athlete" in her opening remarks.

"I wish the national team the best as they compete at the world cross country championships in (Guiyang, China) later this month. Go there and fly the Kenyan flag high," she said.

The funds raised from last year's race, Mrs Kenyatta said, helped purchase 21 fully-kitted mobile clinics. She said 21 clinics had been commissioned in 21 counties.

The Beyond Zero campaign received a boost from Commercial Bank of Africa (Sh25 million), Kakamega County (Sh1 million), Deputy President William Ruto (Sh17 million) and Ministry of Health (Sh3 million).

"Our aim is to give each of the 47 counties a mobile clinic, which means that more needs to done. We are just halfway through our journey and I am advocating for a healthy living," she added.

Ms Kenyatta competed at the inaugural First Lady's Half-Marathon and the London Marathon last April.

Ms Ruto appreciated the First Lady for her noble work, saying it was of great help to the rural population.

Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the Beyond Zero Campaign has also catalysed action by other stakeholders at the county level, which has led to increased maternity services.

"It boosts the quest for access and affordable medical services. One of the strategies the Beyond Zero Campaign has employed is improving the access to maternal and child health services through mobile health units, which reaches women in remote areas of the country," said Mr Macharia.

Minutes before the race ended, President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived to receive the First Lady. Mrs Kenyatta hugged him and then let the river of sweat form a bond to unite Kenyans in saving maternal deaths.

An excited President then danced in joy, drinking in the glory of First Lady's victory while he enjoyed a light moment with Mr Ruto.