Relief for athletes as Eldoret City Marathon embraces ‘Adopt an Athlete Initiative’

Athletes wishing to compete in the fifth edition of the Eldoret City Marathon have all the reasons to smile after organizers announced that they would cater to registration fees for the less privileged budding athletes.

This year, the marathon organizers embraced the Adopt an Athlete Initiative, which raised money to pay registration fees for talented but underprivileged athletes. Additionally, the county government of Uasin Gishu announced that it would sponsor 1,000 athletes, making the race even more competitive.

Speaking to Mozzart Sport on Wednesday during a tree-planting exercise at the Eldoret Sports Club, the organizers, led by race director Moses Tanui, called on the athletes to take advantage of the opportunity and register to compete.

The registration deadline is Thursday, April 18.

Tanui, a two-time Boston Marathon winner, explained that registration would be closed soon to give the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) and Athletics Kenya (AK) ample time to work on the start list and scrutinize the athletes.

“ADAK and AK rules require us to finish registering athletes tomorrow (Thursday) so that they can come up with the start list. When we finish the registration tomorrow, we will work on the start line and submit the names to AK for more scrutiny. We want to ensure a clean race,” he said.

Tanui further noted that the decision to adopt the Adopt an Athlete initiative was necessitated by the unexpectedly short notice of the upcoming race. With little time for planning and preparation, the team realized that making the most of every resource would guarantee a competitive advantage.

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He asked the athletes to pick up their bib numbers in person. Athletes who fail to pick their bib numbers will be disqualified from competing.

“Because of the short notice, we will pay your registration fee this month. I want to urge the athletes to turn up in large numbers. You should also come for your bib numbers in person as we do another registration. If you do not pick your bib number, you will not run the marathon,” he said.

The organizers have set Ksh18 million as the prize money for the top 20 athletes in both men's and women's categories. The winners of the race will walk away with Ksh3.5 million each, while the athletes who finish second will pocket Ksh1.5 million each.

The athletes who complete the podium, both male and female, will walk away with Ksh1 million each. The fourth-place finishers in the race will also walk to the bank smiling after being assured Ksh700,000.

Marathoners who finish fifth, sixth, and seventh will walk away with Ksh550,000, Ksh450,000, and Ksh350,000 respectively, while those who finish eighth will pocket Ksh250,000.

Those who finish ninth, 10th, and 11th will bag Ksh150,000, Ksh100,000, and Ksh90,000, respectively, while those who finish 12th, 13th, and 14th will walk away with Ksh80,000, Ksh70,000, and Ksh60,000.

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