Athletics: Karanja and Wangui emerge victorious in Masai Mara race

Pius Karanja of Nyandarua and Maryann Wangui of Nakuru are the winners of the Maasai Mara race.

The duo won their respective 10km race after organisers cancelled at the eleventh hour the 21km road race.

Karanja beat a field of 78 runners to win the road race ran in the wilderness of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Narok yesterday after clocking 33 minutes 17secs.

Wangui did it in style after clocking 42min 40secs ahead of Alice Kamau of Nakuru in 42.44, Njoki Ndungu in 43.43 and Naserian Kakaya of Narok in 43.45.

Although Karanja emerged victorious in the 10km, which substituted the 21km race, most of the top ten slots were occupied by runners from the host county.

Paul Kibet of Narok who timed 33.28 was second in the men 10km race ahead of teammate Raphael Ole Kei in 33.29 and Stanley Njihia of Nyandarua in 33.47.

Lenny Nkana of Narok was fifth in in 34min 00secs ahead of teammates Nicholas Saitoti and Tatia Rariogoro who timed 34.19 and 34.24 respectively.

Wrapping the last ten positions were the trio of Narok-based athletes of Daniel Senene, Leshan Alex and Jackton Kisua.

Coach Josephine Teeka attributed the good show by athletes from Narok County to good training in the past few weeks and that the runners also had the added advantage of having mastered the terrain.

Meanwhile, top British athletes are threatening to sue the British Olympic Association over sponsorship regulations, adds BBC reports.

Mo Farah, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Laura Muir and Adam Gemili are among those listed as claimants in a legal letter sent to the body.

Athletes competing in the Olympics are currently bound by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ‘Rule 40’. [Ben Ahenda]