Paralympian Henry Wanyoike and Paderborn Half Marathon champion Maryanne Wangari Wanjiru will be star athletes during the 12th edition of Ndakaini Half Marathon.
This was revealed during the launch of the race to be run on September 12, 2015, in Nairobi, yesterday. The race will be run around the scenic Ndakaini Dam in Murang’a County. Wanjiru and world-beating Paralympian Wanyoike will seek glory in the women’s and men’s 10km categories. “I will be taking part in the 10km category. I am training at my base in Nyahururu and right now I feel fit for it,” said Wanjiru who has just jetted in from Germany where she has been taking part in Road Races.
Wanyoike said it was his pleasure to take part in the race which he will be using to gauge his speed ahead of coming international races. Former Philadelphia Half Marathon champion Mathew Kisorio said he is hopeful to defend his last year’s men’s 21km title. The same sentiments were echoed by Gladys Chesir who won the women’s half marathon. This year’s race has been upgraded to international standards. Unlike before when the race started on the road and ended at the nearby Ndakaini Secondary School, this year’s race will start on the road and end at the newly constructed Muranga County Stadium.
“The race has come of age. We are now following the international standards that require races to be started on road and end on road. Besides, we will use the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to keep tab with the athletes during the race,” noted Ibrahim Hussein, the IAAF Director and Technical Advisor to Athletics Kenya.
Through the RFID technology interested athletes can register online at http://uapndakaini.uap-group.com/ where in addition they will be able to print their own certificates with precise performance timing indicated for all participants of the 21km and 10km races. This year’s prize money has been increased from Sh1.3 million to Sh1.5m. Men and women winners of 21km will get Sh200,000 each. All top ten finishers in the 21km and 10km races will be awarded. Individual athletes register with Sh1000 while Sh50, 000 is corporate registration.
“Athletes gearing up to take part in the race can register at UAP offices countrywide, Uchumi Aga Khan Walk, Sarit Centre branches in Nairobi, Mathai Supermarket in Thika, Ndeka offices in Ndakaini, Parklands Sports Club and IMG offices in Nairobi,” said UAP-Old Mutual Medical Division Group Managing Director Isaac Nzyoka.
Courtesy of standardmedia.co.ke