NAIROBI, Kenya, June 7, 2026 – Nyamira’s Joy Kemuma pulled out all stops to win the women’s 42km at the Nairobi City Marathon on Sunday morning.
The 38-year-old mother of one clocked 2:27:43 to cross the finish line first, ahead of Jacinta Chepkoech (2:30:48) and Nancy Jepleting (2:31:09) who took second and third respectively.
Speaking afterwards, Kemuma attributed her slaloming run to an appetite for victory, which began at April’s Eldoret City Marathon.
“I have been working hard in training for a while and I thought to myself to come and compete in this race and see if I could win. I finished fifth at the Eldoret City Marathon and that inspired me a lot to fight for more. It was a big morale booster,” Kemuma, who trains in Kapsabet, said.
Kemuma says she will now put her feet up on the couch to take a well-deserved rest, even as she puts her Ksh 3.5 million prize money to good use.
“I will not compete in any more races in the near future. I want to take a rest even as I restrategize. My plan with the prize money is to look for a piece of land to buy, among other investments. Some of it I will use to purchase more training equipment,” she divulged.
Concerning the race, Kemuma — who collapsed upon crossing the finish line — said it was all about persevering through the pain.
