Brian: The boy who won a marathon he was unprepared to run

Brian Kihara, 14, was helping his mother with chores on Sunday morning, April 29th, when he heard noises coming from outside their home.

The sound of inaudible announcements being made over a public address system seemed to be drowned by the sound of people cheering.

Being a die-hard football fan and a sturdy soccer player for his village’s local team, the Kirigu Primary School pupil’s first thought was that there was a big match he had somehow not known about.

Without the slightest hesitation, a curious Brian shot out from the house and sped towards where the hullabaloo seemed to come from.

On the way, he met a lot of people who were standing on the opposite sides of the road while cheering.

“I did not know what exactly was going on but it made me very excited. I had never seen anything like that in our community. The noises intensified as I approached my school. That is when I saw a huge banner mounted across the road just before the entrance to the school. It read: Mutuini Marathon 2018,” narrates Brian.

The race, sponsored by NHIF, Chinese Embassy and Nation Media Group among others, had been organised to raise funds in support of Mutuini Hope Centre, a needy children’s education and care project in Dagoretti South, Nairobi.

On arrival at the venue, Brian was met with a lot of people all dressed in sporty gear. The flurry of activities left him momentarily dazed but he managed to make his way to what was marked as the registration point. A cheerful lady at the desk asked him if he wanted to run in the 3.5km children’s race.

“I also love running. We run with a group of boys from school led by our coach and mentor, Mr Muthungu. However, I had never participated in a marathon. When the lady mentioned that there were prizes to be won, I was elated. I quickly responded that I would love to register. However, it was going for Sh1,000 and I didn’t have money.”

HIS HEART POUNDING

Disappointed, Brian lingered around the registration point as he looked longingly at the athletes who were warming up for the 10km race.

The children’s race was scheduled to start 30 minutes after the 10 km race. As he stood there, Brian spotted his coach Mr Muthungu standing a few paces away. He made his way to him, his heart pounding with anticipation.

“When Mr Muthungu saw me, it was as if he had expected me to be there. He asked if I wanted to participate in the children’s race and I eagerly said I did. He paid for my registration and I rushed to the starting point for the 3.5 km race. I did not even have the time to collect my race t-shirt. Although I was not adequately prepared, I won the race.  Mr Mbugua Mwangi, Director of Mutuini Hope Centre and the organiser of the marathon, awarded me a prize and certificate. It was the proudest moment of my life,” recounts a smiling Brian.

His mother was so happy when Brian came back with the good news that she forgot to scold him for disappearing without a word earlier that day.

His head teacher, Mrs Maina, was at the event and was pleasantly surprised to discover that Brian was such a talented athlete in the making.

“He has become a role model for other children in Kirigu. We are all so proud of him and grateful to the organisers of this marathon. It became an opportunity for Brian to shine. It is now up to us to support him grow and nurture that talent, he could be the next Eliud Kipchoge,” remarked Mrs Maina.

Brian vows to defend his title in the second edition of the marathon next year.