By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Elijah Mbaire and Agnes Mumbua Ndolo emerged as the men’s and women’s champions respectively at the fourth edition of the Betika Lukenya 10 Million Trees Marathon held on Saturday, March 28, at Kambu Town.
In the men’s race, Mbaire produced a dramatic sprint finish to claim victory in 2:16:44, edging out Charles Munyua Njoki by just one second in one of the closest finishes in the event’s history. Njoki clocked 2:16:45 to take second place, while Dennis Koech secured third in 2:17:00.
Reflecting on his win, Mbaire expressed gratitude for the victory and revealed that the decisive moment came late in the race.
“I’m very thankful for this win. The race was very competitive, and after the 35km mark we were still four athletes together. At that point I decided to go all out and push the pace because I knew the finish would be very tight,” said Mbaire.
Mumbua delivered a strong performance to win the women’s title in 2:42:56 as Fridah Chepkite Todepa finished second after clocking 2:48:33, while Naomi Wambui Muriuki completed the podium in 2:49:29.
Mbaire and Mumbua took home KES 500,000 each while Munyua and Chepkite received KES 200,000 each. Wambui and Koech were awarded KES 100,000 each for finishing third. Prize money will be awarded up to the 10th position in each race category.
Half Marathon action saw Zakariah Kirika Gacugu storm to victory in the men’s category after clocking 01:02:06 ahead of Leonard Kiprotich who timed 01:02:21 with Peter Kiprop Rutoh (01:02:38) finishing third.
In the women’s race, Betty Chepkiror cut the tape first in 01:12:02 as Phena Siyoi (01:12:03) and Ruth Mwihaki (01:12:25 finished second and third, in that order.
Betika Group CEO Mutua Mutava said: “We strongly believe in the power of sports to transform lives and create opportunities. Our continued support for events such as the Lukenya Marathon reflects our commitment to nurturing local talent while also bringing communities together around positive initiatives.
Beyond the race itself, we want to ensure that the communities hosting us also benefit. The medical camp is part of our commitment to community impact, providing essential health services and support to residents around Lukenya. We also aim to align ourselves with sustainability efforts that are being put across, and this event gives us the chance to do so as we saw with the planting more than 2000 trees.”
More than 200 athletes had registered for the event that featured a 42KM, 21KM, 10KM, and cycling races pitting an 84-km pro race, a 42km race for those under 23 years, and a thrilling black mamba Race.
Beyond the racing action, the marathon continued to emphasize its environmental mission, seeing a total of 2,200 trees planted during this year’s event, contributing to the broader 10 Million Trees initiative aimed at restoring forest cover and promoting sustainability in the Lukenya ecosystem.
