Big field for Kirdam 10km contest in Kabarnet

Chairman Kirdam Road race Isaiah Cherutich, Wilson Kandie of Baringo county government, Barnabas Kitilit AK Chairman Baringo, MP Baringo Central and Hosea Wendot CEO Riftvalley Water services as Barnabas Kitilit (centre) Chairman AK Baringo county observes during the launch on Kirdam road race in Nairobi on Wednesday, August 22, 2018. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kabarnet town comes alive when the inaugural Kirdam 10km race gets underway on Saturday morning.

Hundreds of athletes from athletics-rich North Rift region will battle it out for Sh50, 000 top prize. Cosmas Birech, the brother of 2014 Commonwealth Games 3,000m steeplechase silver medalist and the winner of Kapenguria 21km race, will lead a huge crowd of upstarts in the showpiece.

London Marathon winner Vivian Cheruiyot and two-time London Marathon winner Wilson Kipsang as well as three-time London Marathon winner Mary Keitany, the home-girl, will grace the competition.

Barnaba Kitilit, the Athletics Kenya Baringo County branch, said they expect high turnout. “In the North Rift, there are quite a huge number of athletes. Registration is on in Kabarnet, Iten, Eldoret and Kaptagat. There is a 10km race in Iten on Saturday and I think some athletes will prefer to travel to Kabarnet,” he said.

Isaiah Cherutich, the Local Organizing chairman, said the race is a community based initiative that seeks to raise funds to assist local residents in Baringo Central Constituency to access clean and piped water.

Joshua Kandie, the Baringo Central MP and race patron, said he will bring on board donors from Europe and United States of America to help in developing athletics talent in the region.

Rift Valley Water Services Board (RVWSB) are the title sponsors. Others are Safaricom, National Health Insurance Fund, World Vision, Kenya Commercial Bank and Boresha Sacco Baringo County branch.