Festus Kipkirui displays his bib number ahead of Sunday's USIU Africa Half Marathon/ CHARLENE MALWA
USIU Africa Half Marathon Local Organising Committee (LOC) Chairperson Geoffrey Gikungu, believes Sunday's inaugural race will mark a defining chapter in the university’s commitment to expanding access to education.
Set to be flagged off at the USIU-Africa main campus, the event is expected to attract over 1,700 runners from within the student body, faculty, alumni and the wider community.
“It’s the inaugural race, happening on Sunday, July 27, and we are expecting about 1,700 athletes,” said Gikungu. “We have three categories—21km, 10km and 5km. We will start at USIU-A and run all the way to Two Rivers along the Northern Bypass.”
The race, themed "Miles for Education", is designed to raise funds for the university’s Financial Aid Programmes, which support both current and prospective students with financial hardships.
“The goal is to raise money for students facing financial challenges,” Gikungu said. “We have different programmes within the University Financial Aid Office that help students pursue their dreams in education."
The highlight of the day will be the competitive 21km race, which has a prize purse of Sh600,000.
The winners in the men and women's categories will each pocket Sh150,000, which drop to Sh80,000, Sh40,000, Sh20,000 and Sh10,000 for positions two to five respectively.
The 10km race will feature a CEO's Challenge, open to up to four C-suite executives per team, and a Corporate Challenge accommodating teams of up to 10 participants.
The 5km Fun Run is open to students, faculty, alumni, families, staff and friends. All participants will receive a participation award, with special recognition for winners in the CEO and Corporate challenges.
Runners are expected at the starting spot from as early as 5:30 am for the start of the 21km race, followed by the 10km and 5km races, at 6:45 am and 7:30 am respectively.
The organisers urged runners to arrive early due to potential road closures and to stick to familiar warm-up routines while pacing themselves carefully.
“When the race gets tough,” the event brief read in part, “remember to smile and enjoy the moment."
