This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
The 2019 Standard Chartered marathon is just around the corner, with the event scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 27th, 2019. Over 20,000 elite and fun runners are expected to participate in the event.
Athletics Kenya has deployed over 200 technical officials to oversee the event, with a focus on ensuring the technical aspects of the city road race meet international standards. According to Barnabas Korir, AK Chairman Nairobi branch, the event organizers are working to have the marathon promoted to the league of the world's elite marathons.
As part of the event preparations, the Nairobi Traffic department has released a detailed road closure and diversion schedule. The affected roads include sections of Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway, Upper Hill, and Forest Road, while within the CBD, Kenyatta Avenue, Muindi Mbingu, and sections of Haile Selassie and University Way will also be closed.
According to Joshua Omukata, Traffic Commissioner, Nairobi County, the traffic flow is expected to be minimally disrupted, with carefully organized traffic diversions in place to ensure that Nairobi residents have alternative routes to critical locations in the city, including hospitals, churches, and airports.
Event organizers have announced changes to the route for the six race categories, largely due to the relocation of the start and finish points back to Nyayo Stadium. The changes are expected to boost the event's prize money, with the 42km race now offering Sh 2 million and the 21km race offering Sh 300,000.
Registration for the event is still open, with close to 18,000 participants already registered. Event organizers are optimistic that the goal of raising KES 60 million for the FutureMakers initiative will be attained.
