The second edition of the Nairobi City Marathon lived up to its billing on Sunday with thousands of enthusiastic participants gracing the event at Nyayo Stadium.
The icy morning would have easily discouraged anyone from getting up early to take part in the event, but the enthusiastic participants refused to give up.
Amidst the chirping of birds and the skittering of leaves across the roads, runners set out on their mission unafraid. Novice participants out to have fun were among those who thronged the facility to test their limits alongside Kenyan pro athletes.
The competitors — a refreshing blend of youth and experience — derived inundate pleasure in the amazing and thrilling landscape of the picturesque Nairobi city from the vantage points of the magnificent Nairobi Expressway.
The event amalgamated a wide array of personalities, right from toddlers teetering alongside their parents to seasoned runners pounding the course hard in search of fame and fortune.
Equally amazing were persons living with disabilities who exhibited unmatched prowess in their own right.
A host of high-profile Kenyan dignitaries led by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja graced the event too.
Other prominent personalities conspicuously present were Roads and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and Sports principal secretary Peter Tum.
Governor Sakaja in a white cap, blue jacket with white sleeves, and blue denim jeans fired a gun from a platform 15 feet high to start each of the races.
In between the intervals that separated the events, the youthful governor exhibited his dancing prowess too, flexing his body to the electrifying beats that bellowed from the monstrous woofers. His entourage got the cue and danced along, replicating each of his infectious moves.
Sakaja was flanked by Nairobi county honchos and a battery of bodyguards who formed a protective ring around them. And as the competitors delved into their journey, most of them waved to him and he gladly reciprocated in kind and smiled back too.
CS Namwamba rocked too. He wore black track pants, a Nairobi Marathon-branded blue T-shirt, and a red jumper. One couldn't have been at sea at the venue.
Ushers placed in strategic positions donned pink T-shirts with bold words emblazoned in white print screaming 'How can I help you? 'And there were participants scattered all over in blue T-shirts written Champions of the City.
As one made way to the venue right from the Central Business District, the presence of competitors in the Nairobi City Marathon— branded blue T-shirts became increasingly heavier.
They dotted the streets either walking or jogging to the venue. Inside Nyayo stadium, a giant screen broadcasting the proceedings was mounted right in the middle of the football pitch.
Below it, there was a podium where the disc jokey and a passionate hype-man enthusiastically kept the crowd on their feet with music that blared from the gigantic speakers mounted nearby.
Two huge white tents were pitched on either side of the podium where all operations were carried out and inquiries made. There was an assuring sense of tight security as hawk-eyed officers comprising units drawn from the National Police Service as well as the National Youth Service kept vigil throughout the occasion.
And one couldn't have been jittery about getting hit by a vehicle. All roads connecting major highways in Nairobi were closed on Sunday to pave way for the event.The decision affected the Nairobi Expressway, Waiyaki Way, Thika Superhighway, and Mombasa Road towards the city’s Central Business District (CBD).
The roads closed included Aerodrome Road, a section of the Expressway between James Gichuru and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the region between James Gichuru and the entrance of the Expressway, Uhuru Highway, Harry Thuku Road, University Way between Highway Roundabout and Slip Road, and Koinange Street between University Way and Kenyatta Avenue
As the event wound down, all the participants converged on the football pitch to celebrate the glory of those who carried the day and got rewarded handsomely amid the pomp and colour. Local artists brought in to thrill the crowds did a marvelous job of lighting up the stage.
The dignitaries presented the accolades to winners who suddenly found themselves glowing in the trappings of fame and millions in prize purses.