Taita Taveta County will host the 13th edition of the annual Safaricom Madoka Half Marathon on October 20th at Ngerenyi Farmers Training Center.
Preparations are in full swing with over 2,000 athletes expected to take part in the marathon aimed at nurturing talent and strengthening community ties.
“This is a great platform for nurturing and developing talent. We celebrate Mr. Madoka for being the brainchild behind this marathon and we are proud to be part of it. We continue to support and nurture grassroots talent by providing platforms that enable both established and upcoming sportsmen and women to improve their skills,” said Charles Kare, Acting Director – Consumer Business, Safaricom.
Panuel Mkungo, the winner of the Philadelphia and Miami Half Marathons is among the top athletes expected at the race. Defending Champions Isaac Kipkoech and Nancy Kiprop have also confirmed participation.
In addition to the 21Km race, the competition will have 5 other categories; 12Km for juniors, 8Km for men over 45years, 8km for women over 35years, 6Km for boys under 12years and 4Km for girls under 12years.
The winners of the 21km race will receive a cash prize of Sh500, 000 each, with second and third-placed finishers getting Sh250,000 and Sh100,000 respectively.
“Our aim is to boost athletics in this country and within Taita Taveta region. The race will have six different categories in order to giveopportunity to members of the community to also participate in the event. Preparations are running smoothly with registration ending on 20th October. We thank our sponsors and urge everyone to come witness this great event,” said Marsden Madoka, the race founder.
The marathon will be held on Mashujaa day and is seeking to increase participation from foreign athletes in a bid to raise the standards of competition.