Marathon races have been part of the World Athletics Championships for the last 43 years, but when Kenya hosts the senior track and field championships in 2029, the 42-kilometre competition will be on the programme for the last time.
Ibrahim Hussein who led Kenya’s bid committee for the 2029 World Athletics Championships reckons it is a perfect opportunity for local marathoners to showcase their distance running prowess in front of their home fans before the event is dropped from the championship calendar, starting with the 2031 edition which will be held in Munich, Germany.
In April, World Athletics President Seb Coe announced a new strategy for distance-running. As per the plan, the marathon, which has been on the programme of the biennial championship since the first edition held in 1983 in Helsinki, Finland, will be staged at the 2027 and 2029 editions in Beijing and Nairobi respectively.
From 2030, however, the marathon will be dropped from the championship and will be held as a standalone event, known as World Athletics Marathon Championships. From 2031 onwards, the marathon – or any other road running distance – will no longer form part of the World Athletics Championships.
The World Marathon Championships will become an annual event, with men and women competing in alternate years – the same frequency as the current World Championships marathon.
Hussein, who is also the director of Nairobi-based Africa Development Centre (ADC) formed to foster the growth and development of athletics in Africa, reckons that knowledge of the impending changes informed Kenya’s decision to prioritise hosting the 2029 championship, rather than the 2031 edition.
“Initially we had applied to host both the 2029 and 2031 championships but later, we narrowed down on the 2029 championship because we wanted to host the marathon races, and 2029 will be the year the marathon is held in the world championships for the last time,” Hussein told Nation Sport on Sunday in Eldoret.
“Since Kenya has been doing so well in marathon races across the globe, it was important to host the 2029 championships so as to give home athletes and fans a chance to watch the stars competing on home soil at the event,” Hussein said.
Kenya's marathon legend Douglas Wakiihiri poses next to the signage of a road in Nairobi named after him. The road was formerly known as Aerodrome Road.
Photo credit: PHOTO|SILA KIPLAGAT
Hussein, who is certified by World Athletics to measure track courses and courses for road races, hopes Kenya can leave a lasting impact when it stages marathon races in the World Athletics Championships for the final time on home soil, and use the opportunity to showcase Nairobi’s beauty and historical sites along a new course.
Douglas Wakiihuri was the first Kenyan man to win gold medal in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships when he triumphed in the 1987 edition in Rome.
Catherine Ndereba became the first Kenyan woman to win the marathon title at the 2003 edition of the championships in Paris. Since then, many Kenyans have followed in their footsteps.
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya celebrates after winning silver medal in the women's marathon race at the 2008 Olympic Games at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, China.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Overall, Kenya has won a total of 23 medals in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships since the event’s inception in 1983. This includes 11 gold, seven silver, and five bronze medals, solidifying the country’s position as the most successful nation in championship marathon history.
At the 2029 World Athletics Championships, marathoners will compete on the streets of Nairobi on a 42-kilometre course requiring extensive road closures, medical support teams, hydration and feeding stations, anti-doping controls and precise World Athletics course measurement.
Nairobi, which is at an altitude of about 1,795 metres, will add another dimension to the challenge, and Hussein said the course will be designed with the city’s high altitude location in mind.
“A course with many hills would punish the athletes. One that is too flat will not offer them adequate test,” he said.
But beyond the logistics, the marathon race will carry an emotional significance for Kenyans that few other championship races could match.
Hussein reckons the 2029 event will give Kenyan technical officials practical experience at the highest level.
Over the past decade, World Athletics has trained Kenyan technical officials in areas such as photo-finish judging, race walking, starting, road-course measurement and other technical areas through its World Athletics Referee Education and Certification System (WARECS).
“Awarding Kenya the hosting rights will also give a number of officials who have undertaken theoretical courses but have not done the practicals an opportunity to do so. The technical officials will officiate under the guidance of their seniors,” Hussein said.
Hussein believes that experience could ultimately strengthen Kenya’s ability to stage other major events, including Diamond League meetings and the new standalone World Athletics Marathon Championships.
The championship is still three years away, but Hussein says there is no room to relax and preparations must start immediately.
