The Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon organizing committee has announced that all is set for the 18th edition to be held tomorrow, Sunday 31st October, 2021.
So far, at least 2,500 athletes have confirmed participation in the physical race, with registration now closed for the physical race. The virtual marathon, which targets 13,500 participants, is still open and runs till 31st October, 2021.
The race start timings will be as follows.
- 21 Km wheelchair race – 6:50 am
- 21 Km – 7:00 am
- 42 Km – 7:15 am
- Corporate relay – 7:30 am
- 10 Km – 8:00 am
Standard Chartered also announced that there would be road closures for the physical marathon set for 31st October, 2021. The physical marathon will be limited to 2,500 elite runners from Kenya and other key countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia and will be held on the Southern Bypass route.
The start and finishing points will be at the Carnivore Grounds and will feature different race categories including 10km, 21km, 21km Wheelchair Race, 42km and the 42km Corporate Relay.
Traffic to and out of the Southern Bypass will be diverted to alternative roads between 12am and 1pm on 31st October 2021. All interchanges to the Southern bypass will be closed with the Dagoretti interchange partially closed. Motorists will be diverted to Dagoretti road, Langata road, Enterprise road, Uhuru highway and Waiyaki way. Trucks from Inland Container Depot (ICD) will be redirected to Mombasa Road within the period of the marathon.
The committee has also reiterated that COVID-19 protocols will be strictly observed. Participants will be required to have the first or complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Alternatively, they could be tested 72 hours before the run.
Participants in the physical marathon should send their COVID-19 test results, vaccination certificates or SMS to the event organizers at covidprotocols@nairobimarathon.com for approval. There will also be a pre-screening before the race with access to the marathon venue only being granted upon the issuance of a COVID-19 compliance band.
Everyone will be required to wear a mask throughout the event with officials from Ministry of Health (MOH) stationed to support this. Runners will dispose their masks at the beginning of the race and new ones will be issued at the finishing point. Social distancing will be observed, and only accredited journalists and suppliers will be allowed entry to the venue.
Athletes will compete for the Ksh. 11.5 million prize allocated to different race categories.
Registration for the virtual run is still open at the Nairobi Marathon website, with all proceeds channeled towards the Futuremakers initiative.