Despite being among the toughest physical challenges, marathons are now attracting thousands of young people.
If you've recently joined a run club or taken up solo running, chances are your feed is flooded with sweaty selfies, medal flashes and self-congratulatory captions every marathon weekend.
Marathon season these days feel as inevitable as football season, with events like the Nairobi City Marathon, Standard Chartered, and Sagalla Hills drawing hundreds of thousands of amateur runners.
Despite being among the toughest physical challenges out there, marathons are now attracting thousands of young people. Ever since the pandemic, there’s been a noticeable boom in long-distance running from full marathons to 21Ks and 10Ks.
For many, training for a marathon has become a personal milestone. On TikTok, you’ll find Gen Z runners documenting every sweaty mile, transforming their run clubs into not just fitness hubs—but also social, even dating spaces.
Awino Nyamolo, a communication expert, never thought she’d become a runner — let alone the kind of person who signs up for marathons, sets 5am alarms, and tracks kilometres.
“I was never sporty in school. Physical education was something I just endured.”
But in her 40s, her energy levels dropped and her blood pressure crept up. “Turning 40 came with a wake-up call. I felt disconnected from my body,” she recalls.
One morning, while walking in Karura Forest, she noticed a group of older women jogging past. “They looked so happy and I asked myself, why not me?”
She started small, without a coach or proper gear. “My family thought I was joking. They’d ask, ‘Will your knees survive?’ But my teenage daughter was incredibly supportive. She helped me choose my first pair of running shoes, picked out a water bottle, and really believed in me.”
Running soon became more than a hobby. It became her medicine. “Running is like my therapy. I process my thoughts with every step. It is especially helpful after a tough day at work or when I feel overwhelmed at home. I come back from a run clearer, calmer and more grounded.”
The consistency brought a kind of structure her life hadn’t seen in years. “Life as a working mum can feel chaotic. But those early mornings, just me and the road, give me rhythm. That sense of control really anchors me.”
Nairobi Runners Club
While she began alone, she eventually found her people. She joined the Nairobi Runners Club and later the Blue Ribbon Initiative, a wellness-driven running community. “We motivate each other, share tips, cheer one another on. I’ve made new friends!
“The hardest part is mental,” she admits. “Sometimes your body is sore, the weather is bad, or you just don’t feel like it. But I keep pushing. Before, I thought being fit meant looking slim. Now I focus on strength, stamina, and how I feel inside. I’m in the best shape of my life, and it has nothing to do with dress size.”
She runs three to four times a week, mostly in the mornings, and occasionally shares her running journey on Instagram and Strava.
While the internet has influenced her—offering tips on gear, training, and nutrition—she’s quick to note that much of it doesn’t fit her reality. “I follow runners around the world, but I stay grounded in what works for me. Not everything online is realistic for a Kenyan woman juggling work, family, and life.”
For Supeet Sambayon, he didn’t always picture himself crossing marathon finish lines: “I used to love boxing, but I injured my shoulder.”
During his recovery, he needed a way to stay active. That’s when he discovered running.
What began as a form of rehabilitation slowly became a passion, then a full-blown lifestyle. “I realised my 10K time wasn’t bad, so I figured—why not just keep going?” He started pushing himself beyond 10 kilometres, to the half-marathon, then to the full marathon. Four years later, Supeet has completed four full marathons, including the Nairobi City Marathon and the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania.
There were also national and global sporting moments that nudged him toward long-distance running. “One glorious moment was watching David Rudisha in the 800m dash at the 2012 Olympics, when he set the world record at 1:40.91,” he said. “And then, of course, the INEOS challenge—Eliud Kipchoge breaking the two-hour mark. Those things really triggered my interest in marathon running.”
Supeet doesn’t describe himself as naturally athletic. “I’ve always been active. I'm Maasai, and we keep cattle—that means a lot of walking, moving, and being on your feet, so I wouldn’t say I was unfit, but the kind of athleticism you need for running is on a whole other level.”
When he decided to commit seriously to running, the reactions were mixed. “Some of my friends were like, ‘Why are you running? You’re already lean—you don’t need this,’” he laughs. “But my mum and sister have been amazing. My sister is a nutritionist and helps me with dietary advice, and my mum has paid my registration fees in a few races.”
Anxiety relief
For Supeet, marathon running is not just physical. It is mental, emotional, even spiritual. “It helps with stress and anxiety relief. Your body naturally produces endorphins when you run—those feel-good hormones that boost your mood. You come out of a run feeling lighter and more grounded. It teaches you to be patient and disciplined.”
Although he loves solo running, Supeet is a member of the We Run Nairobi club. “We meet every Saturday in different locations. We socialise before, during, and after the runs. It’s become an amazing community.”
Supeet Sambayon, a former boxer turned marathoner, is among a rising number of Kenyans embracing marathon running
He believes running clubs like We Run Nairobi are a big reason why marathons are attracting so many young people lately. “If you look at Stanchart last year, they hit a record. Nairobi City Marathon this year? Another record. And now with the current Stanchart registrations, they’re aiming to break that again. That’s not just a coincidence. People feel safer running in a group. You get motivation, support, and consistency.”
For many Gen Z runners, Supeet says, marathons are more than just a race—they’re a lifestyle. “You see it online all the time now—people posting their runs on Strava, TikTok, Instagram. I do it too. You get encouragement, even from strangers all over the world.”
Social media, he says, is a powerful driving force. “I’ve never had a coach. I learned everything from the internet. From gear recommendations—Bandit, Satisfy, UvU—to watching pros train in Iten.”
And with the rise of “hot girl walks” and fitness influencers, Supeet says marathon running has, in a way, become its own form of aesthetic expression.
What keeps him going? “Goal setting,” he says. “Right now I’m training for the Stanchart Marathon, and I want a personal best. But more than that, running has reshaped how I live. I’ve become more focused, more patient, and more disciplined.”
A screen and a spark
For Keith Nyukuri, marathon running started with a screen and a spark. “I think it was the first time I watched Eliud Kipchoge when he broke the marathon record. That’s what made me want to give it a try,” he said. “But what really stuck with me was watching local races—just seeing ordinary people crossing the finish line.”
Keith Nyukuri picked up marathon running after watching everyday Kenyans cross finish lines.
Now in his early 20s, Keith is part of a growing generation of young Kenyans who are embracing distance running.
“Back in school, I played a bit of sports, but I never even thought of marathon running,” he says.
Convincing the family was its own mini-marathon. “When I told them I needed proper running shoes and showed them the price tag, they said it was too expensive! Once I started training and tracking stats, they saw I was committed. That’s when they really backed me.”
Keith has found more than a hobby. “Running helps me clear my mind and release tension.”
His training routine—three to four runs per week, blending long runs with speed work, strength exercises in the evening, and rest days in between—isn’t just about physical discipline. “It gives me structure, especially when life feels chaotic. Even if other things are unstable, I know I have to run.”
Like many urban runners in Nairobi, Keith is part of a community. “You get support, encouragement, and you meet people who are just as passionate.”
Keith believes the running boom among Gen Z isn’t a fluke. “Social media has exposed us to global runners, and health awareness is growing,” he said. “We also see Kenyan athletes killing it on the world stage. So it becomes a trend, but also something very accessible.”
Social media has become both an accountability partner and an inspiration board. Keith posts his routines every Friday, mostly on TikTok and Facebook. “I use LeapFit instead of Strava,” he added. “I share what I’ve done, and it motivates others. There’s also this healthy competition between me and my friends.”
Mental strength
Running has also changed how he relates to his own body. “Now, I appreciate what my body can do—not just how it looks. It’s about endurance, mental strength, and balance. That’s real fitness.”
But it hasn’t always been easy. “The hardest part was the beginning. I didn’t know how to train for a marathon. No one guided me. I was just guessing. But I reminded myself why I started—and that kept me going,” he says.
Ally Gakweli, wasn’t trying to be a marathoner. “I started running as a hobby, then I realised my body was responding well.”
He had no coach, no structured training plan, no fancy shoes. One day, on a whim, he signed up for the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. “I had no training, but I signed up, then started training.”
Ally is 28 now. Since that first race, he has completed three full marathons and at least seven half-marathon events, including the USIU-Africa Half Marathon just a week ago.
But his journey hasn’t been about clocking fast times or collecting medals; it’s been about self-discovery, discipline, and rebuilding a relationship with his body.
“I’ve always considered myself athletic. I go to the gym, I swim sometimes, I ride a bike, but running asks for something else. It demands discipline, endurance, and consistency.”
Most runners get performance anxiety before a race, but not Ally. “My target is to just finish. To show my body this can be done. Next year we do it better. And the year after that, better still.” He has stuck to that philosophy ever since.
For Ally, marathon running is a form of mental therapy.
“When I have a panic attack, running helps me move my body and mind to another space, to create distance between the two. Then I can come back to whatever was causing the tension, but with more clarity.”
The structure of training has also given shape to his weeks. “I run twice a week. My fixed run is every Saturday at 7.30am, which means I have to plan my Friday night accordingly. It gives my weekend a healthy start, and I know that even if I don’t speak to some people all week, I’ll see them Saturday morning. That consistency matters.” His current mileage? About 25 kilometres a week, split between a midweek solo run and a longer weekend one with the community.
Why is running booming now more than ever?
“Because the culture has grown. Marathon running is like the peak; after your 5Ks and 10Ks, you want to go for 21, then 42. And for those who are really, really into it, there’s the Comrades Marathon Run in South Africa. That’s approximately 88 kilometres. That’s aspirational.”
He shares his running journey on Instagram, Strava and X, and has received overwhelming support from both friends and strangers. Before he was a runner, Ally was a gym-goer. He considered himself strong. But once he began running seriously, he realised strength alone wasn’t enough.
“When you move from the gym to the track, you realise you also need endurance, speed, and control.” For beginners who want to get into marathon running, Ally has simple advice: Start.
“When I say start running, I mean literally, see what you have in terms of gear and shoes and go outside. Move your body. That’ll show you where you are in your fitness journey, your weak points, and your strengths. Then you build from there.”
Marathon running
He cautions against giving fixed timelines for when a beginner should reach full-marathon level. “Some people take one year, some two, some less.”
For Ally, marathon running is part of his lifestyle now.
“This is something I’m going to do for the rest of my life,” he says. “It has improved the quality of my health. I sleep better. I perform better at work. I’m more present.”
Keshie Muchai ran her first 5K in 2023 on a whim, now she’s training for her next half marathon.
Keshie Muchai’s foray into marathon running wasn’t born from a childhood love of sport. “Growing up, I’d never loved any form of physical sports.” But in 2023, her employer, KOFISI Africa, paid for employees to take part in the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, and she signed up for the 5K. It was a spontaneous decision at first, but one that would shift her entire lifestyle.
In 2024, she returned for the 10K. Then in 2025, she went all in, training for and completing her first-ever half-marathon. The turning point came in May 2024 when she joined We Run Nairobi, one of the city’s most prominent run clubs. “From there, running became a lifestyle.”
Keshie had been doing Pilates and HIIT workouts long before she started running, but the rhythm and structure of marathon prep was something new. Every Saturday is non-negotiable — a long run with her run club. During the week, she squeezes in solo runs, strength training sessions, or mobility workouts depending on her schedule.
But beyond fitness, running has become an emotional anchor. “Running helps me deal with my anxious thoughts. It helps me cope with burnout. When I’m running, I think clearly. I get ideas. I decompress.”
This sense of clarity has even spilled into her professional life. “After running a half-marathon in two hours and 15 minutes, I started thinking: If I can do that, surely I can ask for what I want at work. I can have tough conversations. I can do hard things.”
Her social life, too, has evolved. Friends know not to schedule plans on Saturday mornings — she’ll be out running. Even her colleagues respect her fitness boundaries. “I’ve made it clear that I won’t stay late or attend events on certain days. I need to go to the gym. I’ve prioritised my wellbeing.”
Keshie’s running lifestyle is documented online. On TikTok, Instagram and Strava, she shares her runs, paddle workouts, and gym sessions. She rejects the stereotype that young people join run clubs just for show.
“It’s about showing up for yourself,” she says.“We love to socialise, and now we’ve found a way to do it while staying healthy.”
As part of the ‘hot girl walk’ and ‘hot girl run’ generation, Keshie sees this trend as a form of self-expression.
Keshie’s routine comprises two runs per week – one solo, one with the club, plus two gym sessions, and a recovery day. She is now preparing for this year’s Standard Chartered Marathon in October. Her training plan officially started on August 4.
