NAIROBI, Kenya, July 29 – The inaugural G4S Karura Cross Country Challenge is on Saturday with Olympics legends, upcoming athletes and corporate captains lined-up to compete in the forest run.
The event will kick-off at 7am with the British High Commissioner Rob Macaire and PS Ministry Environment and Natural Resources Ali Mohamed flagging it off at the Kenya Forest Environmental Education Trust (KFEET) Centre (Formerly Shell BP Club house).
Olympics legend led by Matthew Birir (1992 steeplechase gold) William Tanui (1992 800m gold), Douglas Wakiihuri (1988 marathon silver), Jonah Birir, Sally Barsosio and Paul Koech will participate in the race that aims at raising funds and awareness for the forest.
International entries from Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland are among the 600 registrations for the G4S Karura Cross Country Challenge that will feature the main 16km race as well as 9km and 5km corporate runs.
G4S will also sponsor a team from the Mathare Youth Sports Association to compete at the even where both men and women winners in the main 16km race will take home Sh50,000 each while victors in the 9km event will pocket Sh25,000 a piece.
Race Director, Robert Obanyi said the course will proceed through a riverside with a descent to a bridge crossing past a butterfly pond and back to the centre through the Lily Lake.
“There will be a 3km flat sprint section along the race course, leading to an acute corner that will take the runners through the creepy Mau Mau trail (for which the 16km race is named),” Obanyi said on Tuesday at its launch.
Security arrangements will be handled by G4S with ambulances and a fire engine on stand-by for any eventualities.
The Karura Cross also received Sh600,000 in cash from the British High Commission, petroleum firm Shell and insurance provider AON Minet with other firms supporting it in kind on that day.
