The national Athletics Kenya/Lotto cross country championships/trials will now be held at the Ngong Race Course, Nairobi, on Saturday.
The event was initially scheduled for Uhuru Gardens, along Langata Road but was pushed ahead in honour of the late President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, who will be buried in Kabarak, Nakuru County, tomorrow.
“We had booked the event for last weekend at Uhuru Gardens and after we rescheduled, we had to look for another venue. Racecourse is a good venue. We held our events there some years back and it is still the go-to course for National Police Service cross country,” said AK vice president in charge of competition, Paul Mutwii.
“We went on an inspection tour last Friday, found the course to be alright and sealed a deal with the management.”
Meanwhile, the inaugural Mt Kenya Mountain Running championship received a Sh2m boost from KCB towards the event scheduled for February 22.
The championships have been subdivided into four categories with the 12km race being the highlight. Other races which will be flagged off from the Kenya School of Adventure and Leadership include the 8km, 6km and the 2km race.
The 12km race is set to attract elite runners with the winner taking home Sh 500,000. Runner-up will bank Sh250,000 while the second runner up will pocket Sh 100,000.
Speaking at the sponsorship announcement in Nairobi, KCB’s director of corporate banking, Peter Kathanga, retaliated their commitment in supporting the event which seeks to gather finances towards the fight against cancer.
“We are pleased to be part of the initiative to fight against cancer and conserve the environment by the Meru County Government. It speaks to the County Government’s focus to enhance the welfare of its people and by extension that of the country. We affirm our commitment to continue supporting such initiatives in the future, and look forward to a successful event in two weeks’ time,” he said.
On his part, Meru County Governor, Kiraitu Murungi expressed his gratitude with the bank, saying the financial boost will go a long way in helping the county attain its objectives which include setting up the first cancer institute in the county.
“KCB Bank’s gesture today signifies its commitment towards supporting the fight against cancer and conservation of the environment not only in Meru County but also across Kenya. I thank the bank for its support and look forward to future partnerships on similar engagements,” he said.
Preparations for the event are in top gear with event organisers having completed mapping out and clearing the route for all the races. Registration continues and is set to close on Friday with over 1,000 participants have already registered to take part in the event.
