Kenyans await Boston race
Fans cheer on during the 2016 Boston Marathon at the Tortoise Hotel in kapsabet during a viewing session organized by Bank of Africa. The bank has organized a similar viewing for the 2017 Boston Marathon at the same venue on Monday, April 17, 2017 from 12pm. PHOTO | DENNIS LUBANGA |
What you need to know:
- The 121st running of the Boston Marathon on Monday will start in the outer-suburban town of Hopkinton and stream downhill through six other towns before arriving at the finish line for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
- In Nandi County, athletes and running fans will converge on the Tortoise Hotel for a viewing party organised by the Bank of Africa from 12:30pm.
- The bank has for the last three years been organising the viewing sessions, popularly knows as “viewerthons” around the World Marathon Majors Series races during which elite athletes and athletics fans are taken through investment and banking education.
The 121st running of the Boston Marathon on Monday will start in the outer-suburban town of Hopkinton and stream downhill through six other towns before arriving at the finish line for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
In Nandi County, athletes and running fans will converge on the Tortoise Hotel for a viewing party organised by the Bank of Africa from 12:30pm.
The bank has for the last three years been organising the viewing sessions, popularly knows as “viewerthons” around the World Marathon Majors Series races during which elite athletes and athletics fans are taken through investment and banking education.
Kenya Revenue Authority officials also use the viewerthons to educate the athletes on taxation and customs issues. This Sunday (April 23), the Bank of Africa viewerthon will move to Elgeyo-Marakwet County for a viewing and workshops around the London Marathon at Iten’s Keellu Resort.
“Starting this weekend, we shall be hosting the people of Kapsabet during the Boston Marathon to a viewing party at Tortoise Hotel for the third year running.
“We are proud to be associated with the athletes in Kenya who have flown the Kenyan flag high for years’,” said Bank of Africa managing director, Ronald Marambii.
He added: “Athletics is one of the sports that are held dear at BOA. We have a Bank running team called ‘The Roadrunners’ who will be participating in the Lewa Marathon this June.
“All 15 of us are training hard for this major event with an aim to have fun, keep fit and conquer 42kms in the wild”.
“The marathon viewing parties provide budding and seasoned athletes an opportunity to receive financial advice on investment, information on taxation, training on responding to media questions and professional advice on anti-doping.
“The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon and one of the world’s most prestigious road racing events.”
There will be 13 Kenyans in the field being cheered in Kenya and across the globe.
“In addition to sponsoring the marathon viewing parties, BOA offers a distinctive package for sports men and women in its ‘Mwanariadha Account’ whose features and benefits further contribute to nurturing their sporting talent,” Marambii added.
For a race standing on such lengthy history like today’s Boston Marathon, there’s little in the history of the men coming to Hopkinton today that makes an easy favourite evident.
