The Athletics Race Fund Returns in Full Force

After a long break from athletics, the Athletics Race Fund (ARF) returned in full force this year, supporting a group of runners to take part in one of the country’s premier international road races. Drawing a host of international personalities, the Standard Chartered Marathon was eagerly anticipated by elite athletes, recreational runners and health-conscious locals alike. Race slots filled up months in advance, and athletes began their preparations early for what promised to be a highly competitive event.

A full day of racing

Race day featured a packed programme of distance events: the gruelling 42km marathon, the 21km half marathon, the 10km elite race and fun run, the 5km, and the wheelchair race. A parallel event was also held in Mombasa for participants based on the coast. With a total prize fund of KES 12.4 million shared across the events, the stakes were high, with the marathon winner taking home KES 2 million and the half marathon winner KES 300,000, at DBA Africa we want our athletes to take home winnings.

Our athletes

Through the Athletics Race Fund, and in partnership with Healthy U, we entered and supported 11 athletes from across the country, nine men and two women. Eight came from Elgeyo Marakwet County, with one each from Naivasha, Gachie and Nairobi. Nine of the eleven completed their races. Our partner, Healthy U, was also one of the event’s main sponsors.

The race was broadcast live on national television, allowing families and supporters who could not attend to cheer on their athletes from home. This was a welcome step forward, as few athletics events in Kenya receive live TV coverage.

Results

With more than 2,000 runners in the marathon and over 3,000 in the half marathon, the competition was fierce, yet our athletes recorded some outstanding times and finishing positions. The course ran along the Southern Bypass, overlooking forests and wildlife conservancies, and the heat made for demanding conditions.

Kiplimo Dismas, a late entry into the marathon, produced a superb performance, finishing fourth in a time of 2:11:16. He battled through the heat and challenging terrain to deliver one of the standout runs of the day, the resilience we believe at DBA Africa.

Two of our athletes competed in the half marathon. Isack Kibet recorded our group’s best result in that event, finishing 38th in 1:08:38. Our second half marathon runner crossed the line around 25 minutes later in 98th place, a clear reflection of the depth of talent on show.

Looking ahead

Being part of these athletes’ journeys reflects the youth development that lies at the heart of what we do. We are sincerely grateful to Healthy U for making this possible, and to every athlete who put in the blood, sweat and tears, both in preparation and on race day, to reach this important milestone in their careers. We wish them all the very best for the season ahead.