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Nairobi City Marathon attracts 17,000 participants from 75 countries
Participants compete in the 21km race in the Nairobi City Marathon on July 6, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Winners of the elite 42km races will pocket Sh3.5 million each, with runners-up taking home Sh2.25 million each.
- Winners of the half marathon races will pocket Sh150,000 each, and cash prizes will trickle down to the top six athletes.
Distance runners John Langat and Jonathan Korir will lead a record 17,000 participants from 75 countries on the Nairobi Expressway to contest for honours in Nairobi City Marathon on June 7, 2026.
The two are part of a record 17,000 participants who have registered for the fifth edition of the competition across four categories - 42km, 21km, 10km and the 5km. The participants are drawn from United States of America, Great Britain, Germany, France, Japan, India, Kenya, among other countries.
The annual competition has a total prize purse of Sh24 million. Winners of the elite 42km races will pocket Sh3.5 million each, with runners-up taking home Sh2.25 million each. Third-placed finishers will take home Sh1.5 million in prize money. Prizes will trickle down to the top 20 runners in the 42km race.
Winners of the half marathon races will pocket Sh150,000 each, and cash prizes will trickle down to the top six athletes.
Nelvin Jepkemboi celebrate as she crosses the finish line to win the women's 21km race race during the Nairobi City Marathon on July 6, 2025 at Uhuru Park, Nairobi.
Speaking on May 22 in Nairobi at the close of registration, race director Barnaba Korir said organisers have attained the maximum number of 17,000 participants, up from 15,000 who competed in the 2025 edition of the race.
Korir spoke during the launch of the race after receiving a sponsorship of Sh5 million from National Bank which is a subsidiary of Access Bank.
Langat, who has a personal best time of two hours and seven seconds, timed 2:19:32 to finish 20th in 2026 Paris Marathon on April 16. Ethiopia’s Yemaneberhan Crippa won in 2:05:18.
Since making his debut in the marathon at the 2016 Daegu Marathon in South Korea, where he placed second in 2:10:49, Langat has registered some decent performances over the distance.
Participants compete in the 21km race in the Nairobi City Marathon on July 6, 2025.
He finished second in Annecy Marathon in France in a time of 2:13:10, and again placed second in 2017 Melbourne Marathon in Australia in 2:14:27.
He ran his personal best time of 2:07:11 to finish third in 2019 Eindhoven Marathon.
Langat also secured third place finishes in marathon races held in Stockholm and in Tel Aviv. He won 2022 Nice Marathon in France in 2:10:25, and finished second in 2025 Montreal Marathon in Canada.
Korir, who represented Kenya at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games in England, finishing fifth in the marathon, is certainly a man to watch on the men’s race.
Benson Tunyo Murkomen crosses the finish line to win the men's 42km race during the Nairobi City Marathon on July 6, 2025 at Uhuru Park, Nairobi.
In 2021 he finished fourth in the Amsterdam Marathon in a career best 2:04:32. He secured a silver medal at the Enschede Marathon in the Netherlands in a time of 2:06:40 the same year.
Incidentally, Korir’s marathon career started with the 2017 Nairobi Standard Chartered Marathon where he finished 19th in 2:17:40.
Also in the men’s elite marathon mix that has 20 entries is Simon Kipkosgei, who has a personal best time of 2:07:07 from a fourth place finish at the 2021 Eindhoven Marathon .
Kipkosgei competed in two races last year with the best coming from the Lima marathon, Peru where he came third in 2:12:50.
Felix Kibet Masai who is fresh from winning the Two Oceans Half Marathon on April 12 in a course record time of 1 hour, 3 minutes and 17 seconds, the fastest time recorded in Cape Town since 2017, will race in the men’s 21km.
Race technical director, George Kariuki, said competitors will be flagged off at the main entrance of City Hall in Nairobi, from where they will head to KenCom Bus Stop on Mama Ngina Avenue, onto Moi Avenue.
The competitors will then branch off to Muindi Mbingu Street, onto Kenyatta Avenue then tackle Koinange Street section of the course. The competitors will then head to University Way and proceed straight onto Uhuru Highway towards Westlands.
The contestants will then enter Nairobi Expressway at the Nairobi Museum Hill exit, and head to ABC Place in Westlands where they will make a u-turn and head to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport exit.
The participants will return to the City Centre and exit the Nairobi Expressway at Uhuru Park Expressway exit and head to the finish at Uhuru Park.
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