Prize money goes up in Standard Chartered 21km race

Competitors in this year’s Standard Chartered Nairobi 21km marathon have every reason to smile after the prize money was revised upwards.

Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive Officer Lamin Majang said the top prize in the half marathon would be Sh200,000, up from Sh150,000.

Now in its 15th edition, the marathon will be held at Nyayo Stadium on October 29.

The bank has injected Sh100 million towards the event that continues to serve as a platform for budding athletes since its inauguration in 2003.

Registration (online) begins today and ends on October 15. Each participant will pay Sh2,000. A window for late registration - October 16-26 - will cost Sh2,500.

Main marathon

Majang said the main marathon’s prize money remains unchanged at Sh1.5 million.

“The winner of the 21km will walk home with Sh200,000, up from Sh150,000. The first runner-up will receive Sh150,000, up from Sh100,000, and second runner-up will get Sh100,000, from Sh50,000,” said Majang.

“Going forward, we will look into possibilities of reviewing other categories as well, just to reward participants and raise the profile of the event.”

More than 21,000 participants took part in last year’s edition, which helped raise Sh39.5 million.

The marathon’s main objective is to support the Seeing is Believing project. This year, the event organisers are targeting 30,000 participants.

Speaking during the launch yesterday, Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuweii called on the Nairobi county government to offer more support this year.

“Over the years, the management of this event has improved, its continuity has been great.

“As the host, Nairobi County should join hands with the main sponsors to make this annual event even bigger,” he said.