Cheserek, Sandrafelis lead elite cast for Sunday's Nairobi City Marathon

Kenyans Edward Cheserek and Sandrafelis Chebet headline over 75 nationalities for Sunday’s Nairobi City Marathon along the Expressway.

Cheserek, the 2025 Hamburg Half Marathon runner-up, will chase his maiden win over 21km, while Chebet seeks redemption in the women’s marathon after a lacklustre start to the season.

Cheserek, 31, opened his 2025 with an eighth-place finish at the Yangzhou Half Marathon in March, clocking 1:03:33. 

He improved this at the Hamburg Half Marathon on June 29, finishing second in 1:01:11, behind Samwel Mailu (1:01:03).

Chebet targets her first podium finish of the year after placing 12th in Lanzhou (2:43:19) in May. 

16,000 runners are expected in this year’s race, 3,000 more than the 2024 edition.

“The inaugural edition had just under 10,000 participants. The second grew to over 10,000 and last year we had 13,000,” said coordinator Kennedy Tanui.

“We have already hit 15,000 runners and we’re confident of surpassing 16,000 once the last 500 slots in the 4km family run are taken.” 

“The 42km, 21km and 10km races are sold out. The 10km has the largest participation with over 6,000 entries.”

He noted a significant spike in international participation, with runners from 75 countries enlisted. Kenya takes the lion's share with 13,379 participants as of Wednesday.

“This will be one of the most competitive editions yet, with increased global participation and high-calibre athletes,” said Tanui. 

China leads the foreign entries with 375, followed by India (103), Britain (86), Uganda (46),  Ethiopia (41) and Japan (40).

“This marathon has become a trademark in Nairobi as participants run on the iconic skies where everybody gets a scenic view of the city courtesy of the Expressway,” he stated.

The race will start at Uhuru Park and conclude on Processional Way.

The prize purse remains unchanged, with Sh3.5 million set for the winners of the 42km races. 

The runners-up and third-place finishers will earn Sh2.25 million and Sh1.5 million, respectively. 

Top finishers in the half marathon will take home Sh150,000, Sh80,000 and Sh50,000, while the 10km winners will earn Sh100,000, Sh60,000 and Sh40,000.

The organisers have announced several road closures from Saturday night.

The Nairobi Expressway from James Gichuru to JKIA will be closed from Saturday, 10 pm to Sunday, 3 pm. 

Others include Waiyaki Way’s inner lanes, Mombasa Road roundabouts and exits, Uhuru Highway and Kenyatta Avenue (between PanAfric Hotel and Uhuru Highway).

The 42km will start at 6:45 am, the half marathon at 8:15 am, the 10km at 10 am and the 4km fun run at 11 am.