Stage set for the Nairobi Relay Marathon as 75 teams confirm participation

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ATHLETICS Stage set for the Nairobi Relay Marathon as 75 teams confirm participation

Abigael Wafula 11:00 - 06.04.2023

In attendance will be be multiple Paralympic champion Henry Wanyoike.

All is set for the third edition of the 2023 Nairobi Marathon Relay to be held on May 6 at the Marist University grounds in Karen, Nairobi.

The event, labelled “The most electrifying sporting event” has attracted a record 75 teams, comprising of 450 runners.

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Speaking during the announcement, David Thuo the founder of the event expressed enthusiasm towards hosting the event noting that the number of registered teams have significantly increased.

“We are excited to host the third edition of “The Nairobi Marathon relay. This year we have managed to register 75 teams, up from the 40 that participated in the second edition in 2022, and the 22 teams that ran in the first edition in 2021,” Thuo said.

He added that the theme of this year’s event is ‘Common people achieving uncommon results.’ The event is an exciting relay format where teams of six runners compete, with each runner covering seven kilometers to complete a full marathon.

“This is because each time runners have come together in the relay, they have always posted times in their combined 42kms that are way faster than they would ever dream of running individually,” he added.

Among the runners expected to take on the relay is multiple Paralympic champion Henry Wanyoike and his guide Paul Wanyoike who will be running for team Jelani. The eldest entry in the field is 73-year-old Surinder Singh, who will be participating in his third event, for Team Jelani.

The competition for the overall title is expected to be headlined by last year’s runners’ up in the ladies' category, Dash Dolls, defending men’s winners Roaring Simbas and runners-up Dathon Ace racing team. Others include Tipwa Tipwa, Early Birds, Zep-Re Team, Sole Sisters Inc, Team Standard Chartered, Team Kobe, Rocket Queens, The Powerpuff Gang, and Team IMG.

Thuo revealed that so far, the event has managed to attract sponsorship from SBM Bank, with more corporates expected to come on board in the near future.

He added that the event is also an initiative in support of the Nairobi Support Services, an institution that helps with the rehabilitation of children with various disabilities.

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