Ndakaini Half Marathon set for October

The 15th edition of the annual Ndakaini Half Marathon will be held on October 6, around the scenic fresh water dam in Murang’a County.

Ndakaini Environmental Conservation Association (NDEKA) chairman Joseph Kimura explained at a press briefing at Riadha House that Athletics Kenya had accepted to move the half marathon within a time frame that is suitable for elite athletes who use the race to prepare for international events.

“We are excited by the immense interest the elite athletes have shown in the Ndakaini Half Marathon and announce that this year the route has been slightly modified to give them a better start and finish experience,” said professor Kimura.

“The main purpose for this event is to nurture the talents country wide so I urge all Kenyans to promote this event by inviting all the athletes to participate,” Kimura said.

According to Kimura, there will be a random doping test conducted among the runners and all athletes, the move geared towards promoting the fight against the menace.

This comes just a day after his comes just a day after the Athletics Integrity Unit and LANCET Group of Labs announced plans to set a WADA approved anti-doping lab in Nairobi by the end of September.

“All athletics must prepare to do doping tests to eliminate suspicion of any Kenyan athlete winning unfairly.”

He noted that for the first time this year, registration for the race will be done online, conforming to the now popular trend by event organizers of using online registration, and will close on September 30.

Among the elite athletes expected to take part in the Ndakaini Half Marathon are Patrick Kipn’geno, who is expected to defend his 21km title for the third time.

In 2017, Patrick Kipng’eno and Debra Meringor finished ahead of the pack of nearly 3,000 runners bagging the Ksh 300,000 cash prize for winners.

Elite runners will pay Kshs. registration fee while Kshs 1,000 will apply for other runners.