Eldoret City Marathon organisers are hoping to join IAAF bronze status after getting recognition from the Abbott World Marathon Majors early this year.
Speaking during the launch of the 4th edition of the Eldoret City Marathon on Monday, race director and two-time Boston Marathon champion, Moses Tanui said they are working on modalities to secure the bronze label status in a bid to attract international athletes around the world.
With the race set for April 11, 2021 following the cancellation of 2020 edition due to coronavirus pandemic, Tanui said they have been recognised by the World Marathon Majors and they are hoping to the get the bronze label next season. “This will give us an opportunity to register athletes from across the world through online platforms,” he added.
He admitted that getting the bronze label status is not going to be easy as they need to work on a number of things. “ We need electronic timing, safe roads for athletes and other technical aspects to achieve this,” he added.
Tanui said having run at the very top, he knows Eldoret Marathon has the capacity to join the big league and they are working on that. He said it’s one step at a time but if they attain the status, they will immediately start attracting international runners and promote tourism in the long run.
Uasin Gishu county governor Jackson Mandago, who is the race patron, said they did well in the last edition and they want to take the event to the next level. “Attaining the bronze label status will be a very big achievement. We had to launch early because we want to improve in terms of organisation and meeting all requirements,” he said.
Athletics Kenya (AK) Central Rift chairman, Abraham Mutai, promised they will put all measures in place to ensure they achieve their goals in as far as the race is concerned.
“All protocols have been followed with assistance from the Ministry of Health. We have licensed the event and it will go on,” he said.
