It's no secret. Kenyans have been wonderfully obsessed with marathons, especially in the recent past. Most remarkably, Eliud Kipchoge's name has been on our lips ever since he set the World Record last September in Berlin. This year, he went a step further to inspire the world by being the first human to run 42 kilometers in under 2 hours. It was such a glorious sight! Amazingly, the long-standing women's record was also broken by Brigid Kosgei this year and it happened just a day later. We became even more fanatical.
There are so many worthy mentions of Kenyans doing well in marathons globally in the last one year. Indeed, the running sport has a special place in our hearts.
A bigger reason to run is now here with us thanks to Standard Chartered bank. Here come the 'Futuremakers'!
Who are the Futuremakers?
Entrepreneurship and job creation are critical to the prosperity of individuals and communities. However, a slowing global economy fraught with trade tensions and the socio-economic impact of globalisation, is making inclusive economic growth and employment much harder to achieve.
Developing economies, in particular, have a high percentage of unemployed or vulnerably employed young people as high as 66% in Africa who lack the right skills and opportunities to realise their ambitions.
Standard chartered is launching a new global campaign to help the next generation learn, earn and grow. This is because they believe everyone deserves the opportunity to learn, earn and grow. Globally, more than 200 million young people – often disproportionately impacted by the challenges of inequality – are out of work or live in low-income poverty, and that’s just not good enough.
They are raising USD50 million by 2023 to tackle inequality and increase economic inclusion for young people across the markets that Standard chartered operates within.
With the Futuremakers by Standard Chartered initiative, they will be inviting disadvantaged young people – especially girls and the visually impaired – to gain new skills and expertise to improve their chances of getting a job or starting their own business.
Watch how Futuremakers works.
Futuremakers builds on the success of the global Seeing is Believing (SiB) initiative to tackle avoidable blindness and visual impairment. Between 2003 and 2018, Standard Chartered reached more than 176 million people through SiB and raised more than USD100 million.
The Standard Chartered Marathon 2019
This year's marathon directly plugs in to the Futuremakers by Standard Chartered initiative. The marathon takes place on Sunday 27th October and is organised in accordance with the rules and regulations of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) and Athletics Kenya (AK).
Registration for the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon is available ONLINE ONLY and costs sh2,500/=. No cash payments are allowed. Click here to register
Races, Rules and Regulations
There's the popular 10 km race and the 5 km Family Fun Run which requires any person under the age of 18 to be accompanied at all times by a responsible adult. There's also the 21 km and 42 km race whose participants must be over 18 years of age.
All participants must ensure they are medically fit to participate in the race.
The marathon will also feature a Wheelchair race whose entries are limited to 100 persons. These entries are accepted on a first come first serve basis and the race will follow the measured Half Marathon Route.
All participants are required to wear an official Marathon race number on the front of their singlet or shirt. No un-official vehicles, motorbikes or bicycles are allowed on the course. No pets are allowed on the course.
See you on Sunday!
