NYAHURURU, Kenya, December 1- Another victory for Nicholas Togom at the fifth NBK/AK National Cross Country series meeting in Nyahururu will leave the graduating junior with only one victory to wrap up the senior men 12km jackpot.
Togom, the Africa Cross bronze winner and younger brother of Matthew Kisorio who finished eighth at the New York Marathon last month has already won the men’s long race in the domestic circuit in Tala and Chepkoilel.
The Kosirai bred runner who won the Sh400,000 series jackpot in the junior men 8km race last season will be the headline act at the Nyahururu Golf Course where AK Central Branch moved the event after the planned venue in Nyeri was waterlogged.
Central chair, David Miano said on Thursday that heavy rains pounding the country had informed his branch to shift the event in order also to make it easier for athletes from the Rift Valley hot bed to access the race.
Victory in Nyahururu will leave Togom the task of winning one more race and starting at the National Cross Championships to be guaranteed the pay-out.
Linus Chumba, who was sixth in Tala and runner-up in Chepkoilel (second) and Embu (third) will be among the main challengers to Togom’s ascendancy in Nyahururu.
In his absence, Togom who placed third at the Tuskys Wareng Cross Country in Eldoret, saw Isaiah Kiplangat, the national junior 8km champ and Timothy Kiptoo win the long race in Embu and Kapsakwony.
Freshly minted New Delhi Half Marathon champion Lucy Kabuu, who announced her return to domestic form with a dominant victory in the women 8km race in Tala, returns to press for top honours in the race for jackpot in this category.
She will be up against Winfridah Kwamboka who topped in Embu among other potent athletes from Central and Rift Valley. New find, Phanacier Jemutai nosed ahead in the race for the pay-out when she won the Chepkoilel and Kapsakwony legs of the series.
Kabuu, the 2006 10,000m Commonwealth gold medallist is relishing a barnstorming return to the sport after injury and maternal duties that welcomed daughter Angel saw her miss two seasons.
In the junior races, World Youth 3000m champion William Sitonik who is leading the jackpot race in the men’s 8km run renews acquaintances with Japheth Korir who forced him to runner-up in Embu.
AK will pay-out a total of Sh1.2m in the series jackpot for the four races.
