Athletes can now relax after Stanchart extends deadline

With just under two weeks before this year's Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon takes place, runners are leaving nothing to chance, ahead of the October 30 race.

The marathon, now in its 19th edition, continues to attract more athletes with every passig day.

Some of the world beaters who have confirmed their participation for the lucrative showpiece are former World Youth 3000m silver medallist Patrick Mutunga and 2022 Durban 10K bronze medallist Fridah Mweu.

Mutunga, a former World cross country championships junior bronze medallist who is based in Ngong, and Mweu, have been using the monthly Parklands Sports Club road races to gauge their bodies.

Dennis Samoei from Nyahururu, who is currently enjoying high level of fitness ahead of the competition, is hopeful to carry the day in the men's 10km category.

Samoei has been buoyed by his recent victory in the third edition of the Standard Chartered warm-up race at the Karura forest, held early this month.

Local IT expert Peter Sijenje is also buoyed ahead of the race after shading off some excess weight.

Sijenje's confidence has also been affirmed by his recent victory in the warm-up marathon.

Former Africa Paralympics 1500m women's wheelchair champion Caroline Wanjira is also out for a sixth consecutive title in the women's 21km wheelchair category.

Because of the growing interest in the race, Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon organising committee have decided to extend the registration deadline to October 28, giving athletes a 12-day grace period to finalise their registration.

The organisers have also maintained a registration fee of Sh2000 per participant.

Previously, registration for the event was Sh2500.

"In our quest to deliver an inclusive, sustainable and accessible marathon, we have been engaging with both registered and non-registered runners. During these conversations, we were exposed to requests for a lower capped fee to enable more people to participate in the marathon," said Peter Gitau, chairman Local Organising Committee. "With this in mind and cognisant of the current economic reality, we are pleased to cap the registration fee at Sh2000 for the entire registration period. We want to see as many people as possible participate in this year's marathon."

Gutau said extending the registration deadline to October 28 will give people ample time to book their entries for the marathon.

"We have received a substantial number of enquiries and interest on the marathon registration process as well as the timelines. To allow for a seamless registration process, we have extended the marathon registration by 12 days," said Gitau.

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