This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
On October 29, 2019, Lotto Foundation announced its title sponsorship of the 12th edition of Kass Marathon, worth Sh6 million. The event, which will take place on November 17 in Eldoret, has seen the 10km race replaced with a half marathon.
Organisers of the event received additional funding from Kass Media Group, worth Sh8 million, and Nandi County, which contributed Sh1 million. Standard Group Limited is the event's media partner.
According to Julius Lemaon, CEO of Kass Media Group, the decision to introduce a half marathon was made in response to numerous requests from runners. 'Many runners prefer half marathon, which they use as a launching pad for the full marathon. We had to consider them and decided to introduce the 21km race in place of the 10km event.'
The half marathon course is currently being mapped out and will undergo the same certification process as the main marathon. The event is expected to attract 2,500 athletes for the half marathon and 1,200 for the full marathon.
Lotto Foundation Chief Operation Officer Maureen Anduro expressed her excitement about partnering with the organisers, stating, 'We are excited to partner with organisers for this initiative and we will continue supporting the event in the coming years just like we have done with Athletics Kenya.'
During the week of the marathon, Lotto Foundation will visit hospitals in Nandi County to distribute Toto care boxes containing essential items for newborn babies.
