4,000 runners for Kass Marathon

More than 4,000 runners are expected to turn up for this year’s Kass Marathon scheduled for November 20 in Eldoret town.

The number and identity of elite athletes who have confirmed participation in the annual marathon is yet to be revealed, although last year’s winners Albert Korir and Valery Jemeli have confirmed that they will be defending their titles.

Participants will compete in the full marathon, half marathon, 10km run and 5km children’s fun run, and the theme for this year’s event is “Run for your Health and be a Champion of your Health as you run with Champions.”

Registration is ongoing at all Kass Media offices and Trans-national bank offices in Rift Valley, and also online at www.kassmarathon.co.ke. A registration fee of Sh500 is required.

Winners of the full marathon in both the men’s and women’s category will walk away with Sh1.5 million.

Speaking during the cheque presentation ceremony on Thursday, Kass Media Group Chief Executive Officer Julius Lamaon said that the aim of the marathon is to discover the potential of budding athletes, nurture their growth and development and also help then realise their full potential by providing them with sound financial management advise.

“Many times these athletes transform and become very wealthy. All they seem to think about is to invest in big towns but we have partners who are well versed with financial management and we are telling them that they can also reap big by investing in the smaller towns.

“We aim to give the young athletes a platform to showcase their talent and to build themselves up as they test themselves against their peers from around the country,” he said.

A total of Sh11.5 million was presented by different corporates in aid of the marathon.

Kass Media, a local radio broadcasting station, has retained the title rights of the event, and will pump in Sh3 million to facilitate the event. Amaco Insurance has also pledged Sh2.5 million inclusive of individual sponsorship for the participants, while Trans-national bank, the main sponsors, have injected Sh3 million into the Kass Marathon kitty.

Mobile service providers Safaricom have also boosted the marathon’s account with Sh500,000 while Skyward Express will cater for flight tickets of participating athletes and staff of KASS Media to a tune of Sh500,000.

The aim of the marathon is to encourage participants to be champions of their own health.