Major boost for Eldoret City Marathon

Organisers of the second edition of the Eldoret City Marathon have received Sh1 million from Mediheal Group of Hospitals ahead of the event scheduled for April 21.

With a Sh18 million purse, Sh3.5 million handed to winners, the race ranks as one of the highest paying marathons in the country.

Addressing the press on Wednesday at Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret Town, Race director Moses Tanui, a former two-time Boston Marathon champion, lauded the management of the medical facility for the support. “I want to sincerely thank Mediheal Group of Hospitals for the good gesture. We are really happy for the support they have given to our athletes and now it is all systems go ahead of the event,” said Tanui.

Tanui reiterated that the marathon is anchored towards creating awareness with an aim of seeking support from sponsors and relevant stakeholders to marshal efforts towards mitigating dangers posed by climate change.

“Athletes just like anyone else need to run on fresh air and that is why we want to use this marathon to place Eldoret City on the global map with regards to an organisational ability that complements the athletes’ success,” explained Tanui.

Mediheal Group of Hospitals Vice Chairman Umesh Nichat, who presented the cheque to the organisers, said that apart from the financial support, the organisation would also offer ambulances and a team of medical personnel during the event.

“As an organisation we have always supported our sportsmen and women. This is why we are going to make sure that we have a strong team on standby to deal with any emergencies on the day,” he said.

Race chairman Andrew Chelogui said that the marathon will be a platform where both elite and upcoming athletes will showcase their talents. He also indicated that they have a target of planting five million trees as the country seeks to achieve 10 per cent forest cover. During the 1st edition of Eldoret City Marathon last year, over 50,000 seedlings were planted in Uasin Gishu County and its environs.

“We are appealing to everyone out there to plant at least 50 trees. We shall be happy if we manage to plant five million trees before the race day because we want to ensure that we complement efforts to attain 10 per cent forest cover,” Chelogui appealed.

However, Tanui said that they still have a budget deficit of Sh4 million while urging more sponsors to come on board and make the event a success.

“Moving forward, we want to ensure that we have an event that will outlive most of us. We want the Eldoret City Marathon to be here for the next 100 years or so and this can only happen if we get more sponsors on board,” he said.