BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
Joshua Kithuku and Naomy Chebet won the men’s and women’s titles during the Betika Uasin Gishu Half Marathon held on Sunday in Eldoret town.
Chebet secured the top female runner spot and Kithuku clinched the first-place victory among the men runners, crossing the finish line with an impressive time of 1-hour 10minutes and 1-hour 37seconds respectively.
“The half marathon was grueling, and I am grateful for the extensive training I underwent prior to today’s race. Consistently maintaining a pace for 21 kilometers can be a challenging task,” said Joshua Kituku, an amateur who hails from Kitui County.
Kithuku was closely followed by Daniel Simiu who will be taking part in the Chicago marathon.
Last year, Simiu added yet another title to his name after bagging a silver medal in the 10,000m in the world athletics championships held in Budapest and another silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in the same race.
“The equal prize money for men and women is a significant step towards achieving gender equality in sports. This decision represents a significant step forward, removing obstacles and acknowledging the exceptional skill and commitment of female athletes,” said Chebet.
Chebet and Kithuku took home KES 300,000 while the second runners received KES 200,000. Third place achievers were awarded KES 100,000 respectively. Fourth and fifth place finishers received KES 50,000 and KES 40,000 respectively.
Also, participants who placed sixth through tenth in the men’s and women’s categories received a KES 20,000 reward.
Eric Mwiti, Brand Manager at Betika, expressed his admiration for the high-level talent displayed during the half marathon, while emphasizing Betika’s commitment to supporting and nurturing grassroot talent. He highlighted the half marathon’s role in fostering upcoming athletes while building strong community ties within the sporting community in Kenya.
Mwiti added: “All the awarded runners have been tested by ADAK and prizes will be disbursed as soon as we receive the results.”
The half marathon witnessed over 700 local and international athletes taking part in the race.
