NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 18 – Traffic in and out of the Southern bypass will be diverted to alternative roads between 12am and 1pm on October 31 to allow space for the StanChart Nairobi Marathon.
All interchanges to the Southern bypass will be closed with the Dagoretti interchange partially closed. Motorists will be diverted to Dagoretti road, Langata road, Enterprise road, Uhuru highway and Waiyaki way.
Trucks from Inland Container Depot (ICD) will be redirected to Mombasa Road within the stipulated period.
The start and finishing points will be at the Carnivore Grounds and will feature different race categories namely: 10km, 21km, 21km Wheelchair Race, 42km and the 42km Corporate Relay.
The physical marathon will be limited to 2500 elite runners from Kenya and other key countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia and will be held on the Southern Bypass route.
Nairobi Traffic Police Commander (TPC) in charge, Joshua Omukata said that everything had been put in place to ensure minimal disruption to motorists and pedestrians.
‘’We have organized traffic diversions to ensure that residents have access to alternative routes during the stipulated marathon hours. We request that the public cooperates with our traffic officers deployed along the roads for smooth flow of traffic,”he said.
Different from previous marathon routes, the Southern Bypass route was chosen due to ongoing road constructions along Uhuru Highway and Mombasa Road.
The route was also picked due to its proximity to the National Park, which has a great scenic route and creates an opportunity to use the marathon to advance tourism.
Speaking during the announcement, Peter Gitau, the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee expressed confidence that the marathon would go on without hitches.
“This year, we have adopted a hybrid format that combines the traditional mass participation physical race for elite runners only with a virtual option for the rest of the participants. Because of covid protocols, we’re limited to the number of people who can participate in the physical marathons which is why we’ve also introduced a virtual one,” he said
The physical race will cover 10KM, 21KM, 21KM wheelchair race as well as the 42KM corporate relay. Qualifying times for elite athletes have been adjusted to allow for more reach and inclusion, with registration for the physical marathon done on a first come, first serve basis.
Among the Kenyan contingent which has confirmed participation include elite runnersDaniel Simiyu and Rhonex Kipruto as well as
Participating Kenyan elite athletes include Daniel Simiyu, Ronex Kipruto as well as Chemutai Riunotukei, Fridah Jepkite Lodepa Ptoo and Brilian Jepkorir.
The marathon makes a comeback this year after it was cancelled in 2020 due to unprecedented challenges brought about by COVID-19 and the containment measures required.
Registration is still open at www.nairobimarathon.com with all proceeds channeled towards the Futuremakers initiative.