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Chepkwony, Chepkorir win top races in 2025 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon
Bernard Chepkwony from Iten happy after winning this year’s Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon at the Uhuru Garden, Nairobi on October 26, 2025.
Iten-based runner Bernard Chepkwony and Hellen Chepkorir from Kapsabet are the new champions of the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon.
Chepkwony bounced back from a two-year doping ban to claim his maiden victory in the race in 2 hours, 11 minutes and one second.
Chepkwony attacked the course from the word go and stayed with the leading pack of seven athletes till the 25th kilometre mark when he surged clear in the race, which was mostly run along the Southern Bypass in Nairobi.
With seven kilometres to go, the leading pack reduced from seven athletes to five. He was unchallenged when he returned to the finish.
Chekwony, who completed his ban in February this year, finished ahead of Alex Chepkwik Saekwo from Iten, who timed 2:11:26 for second place, followed by 2022 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon champion Ezekiel Kemboi Omullo, who clocked 2:11:40 for third place.
“Being banned has been a big lesson to me and fellow athletes. We must be careful with the medication we take,” Chepkwony said.
Chepkwony, 39, who failed to finish the men’s 21km race in Nairobi City Marathon on July 6, this year, upon return from the ban, now hopes to use the prize money of Sh2 million to better the lives of his family in Kericho.
Hellen Chepkorir (from left), the winner of this year’s Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, poses with Naomy Chepkorir and Scholastica Jepkemboi, who finished second and third, respectively, at the Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi.
Chepkorir won the women’s race in 2:27:17, edging out Naomy Chepkorir from Iten and Kapsabet’s Scholastica Jepkemboi to second and third places in 2:27:37 and 2:29:18, respectively..
Chepkorir finished second in the Porto Alegre Marathon in Brazil in April, and came fourth in the Nairobi City Marathon in July this year.
“This is my first victory since I completed a full marathon in 2016 from track. In fact, this is my best earnings ever,” said the elated Chepkorir, who finished seventh at Rotterdam Marathon and eighth in Kosice Peace Marathon on October 1, last year.
“I didn’t have any races abroad, and so I decided to take a short time at this great race. I had prepared well since the Nairobi City Marathon,” Chepkorir, 31, said.
“It shows that I am ready for the World Marathon Majors next year,” declared Chepkorir, whose dream is to compete in the Boston Marathon one day.
“I train in hilly areas in Kapsabet, and competing in Boston will be the natural thing to do. I stand a good chance of handling the terrain well, and I look forward to an opportunity to do it,” explained Chepkorir.
She will plan her next move with her coach, Richard Mutai.
Chepkorir, who looks up to the 2020 Olympic and 2025 world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir in the marathon, said she is yet to decide what to do with the prize money of Sh2 million.
John Kithuku, who comes from Machakos but trains in Iten, won the men’s 21km race in 1:02:34, beating Nahashon Kipsang to second place in 1:03:30. Gilbert Korir crossed the finish line in 1:03:33 for third place.
“I now want to upgrade to the full marathon next year,” said Kithuku, who won the Betika Half Marathon in Eldoret last year, and returned to finish sixth in the same race in July.
The 2018 and 2022 Africa 1,500m champion, Vinny Chebet, made entry to distance running in style, finishing second in women's 21km in 1:15:20. Chebet, the 2018 Continental Cup 1,500m champion, lost the battle to Fridah Rerimoi, who ruled the roost in 1:14:22.
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