Organisers of Eldoret City Marathon have confirmed that seven foreign athletes have registered for the annual race set for June 6.
The annual race, which had initially been scheduled for April 11, was pushed forward after President Uhuru Kenyatta suspended all sporting events in the country in a measure aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19.
On Thursday, race director Moses Tanui confirmed seven foreigners had registered for the race before the suspension. They will battle it out with 148 Kenyans from 30 counties.
“It is a great honour President Uhuru Kenyatta has allowed sports to resume. We are ready with the route already marked. We also have seven foreign athletes,” said the two-time Boston Marathon champion.
“We also have the electronic timing system and bibs fitted with QR codes GPRS that can read and interpret the system. This technology will be used for the first time in this marathon. A few such bibs have been presented to us,” said Tanui.
Uasin Gishu Governor, Jackson Mandago reiterated the importance of adhering to Covid-19 protocols during the event.
“As a county government, we shall be very keen to make sure that the organisation of this race complies with the set guidelines with no irreducible minimums. We must comply in order to have a successful marathon," said Mandago.
He urged athletes to continue registering for the race.
“I want to tell athletes that registration is still on. Probably, this would be the only physical marathon in this country this year. And for the first time, we are going to have electronic timing, safeguarding the authenticity of the times the runners will post,” added Mandago.
Athletics Kenya Central Rift Chairman Abraham Mutai said electronic timing and the entry of foreign athletes is crucial for the growth of the race.
“With electronic timing, we will reduce cheating. This is the way to go in managing road races in the country,” said Mutai.
