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Kilimo, Chemjor grab top Kisumu Marathon titles
PHOTO | JACOB OWITI Athletes take off at the start of the men's race of the Safaricom Kisumu Marathon on the streets of Kisumu on December 16, 2012. Daniel Kipkorir Kilimo and Magdalene Chemjor won the men’s and women’s races.
What you need to know:
- Locals feature in newly started five-kilometre race held with a view to making athletics more popular in Nyanza North
The seventh edition of the Safaricom Kisumu Marathon on Sunday saw new faces emerge as winners with Daniel Kipkorir Kilimo clocking two hours, 14 minutes and 26 to take the men’s title.
Former Amsterdam Marathon champion Magdalene Chenjor (2:31:32) made a comeback to the top flight to take the first place in the women’s race.
Caroline Chepkoech, who was beaten by a slight margin, clocked 2:31:44 for second place with Wilson Yegon (2:14:48) for second place in the men’s race.
Joseph Amenya, Barnabas Bor and Alfred Kipsang took positions three, four and five respectively while Valery Chemeli, Rebecca Sang and Rachel Kitui managing to secure similar positions in the women’s category.
The third place winners were awarded a prize of Sh50,000 in both the men’s and women’s categories with the winners and runners’ up getting Sh200,000 and Sh100,000 respectively.
The five-kilometre category, which was introduced exclusively for Kisumu residents who are not culturally athletics oriented, also recorded impressive results for the athletes debuting for the race.
The women’s category was scooped by Roseline Atieno, 16, who beat her competitors by clocking 17:51 taking home the first prize of Sh5,000 followed by Veronica Atieno, 17, in 19:44.
The men were led by Benson Onyango in 15:19 with David Opondo (20:34) second.
Athletics Kenya secretary general David Okeyo, the patron of the race, said that the five-kilometre run was held to encourage more locals to participate in athletics.
Unpopularity of athletics
“We introduced the 5km race to make the Kisumu marathon an unlimited event allowing the participation of the local residents who see athletics as a game set aside for people coming from the North Rift,” said Okeyo.
Okeyo decried of the unpopularity of athletics in Nyanza citing lack of support from the local municipality and county councils.
“Our county councils must be sensitized that athletics is one of the leading marketers in the sports industry,” he said.
“Most mayors all over the world are ever enthusiastic about sports being held in their towns, that is where Kisumu and its environs fail,” he said.
