Nairobi 10K Run and Marathon Race
High Altitude Running in the Heat with Champion Runners in Kenya
Nairobi, capital city of Kenya, hosts an open 10K race plus half-marathon for men and women on 26 October 2008 alongside its well-known Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, the highest race in The Greatest Race on Earth.
Finishers and survivors of the highest run will collect stories from Kenyan and international runners to place with their own memories of race day around Nairobi.
Running Vacation to Kenya for Nairobi Races
North American runners can fly to run in Nairobi, North of the Equator, via Europe (through London or Amsterdam) to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi or near the Kenya Coast at Moi International Airport, Mombasa.
Air travel within Kenya or bus transport can be arranged to visit The Masai Mara and Samburu Game Reserves, The Aberdares and the Mt Kenya Area. Holding the Nairobi 10K Run and the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon in October 2008, an offpeak time for tourists, is a runner’s advantage to booking cheap flights to Kenya to run.
All international runners must check with their government's health and security departments about recommended vaccinations for overseas travel to their proposed destination, visa arrangements and to be informed of the latest Travel Warnings.
The Nairobi Marathon Experience
Running in Nairobi is going to be an African adventure and race. Andy Blackford in “Nairobi? Don’t Get Me Started” (Runner’s World, January 2005) writes, “Forget the altitude and the fading grandeur of the host city; organisationally this was as slick a marathon as you’d find in the west…Traffic-free roads, tight security, ample drinks stations, good medical cover and a stress-free passage through the start and away from the finish”.
The Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon and the 10K is generally well thought of by runners who have completed the races.
About the 10K and Nairobi Marathon
Over 8,000 runners are expected for the Nairobi 10K and half marathon. A smaller field of around 1,500 may complete the Nairobi Marathon. As finishers’ times for places 11 onwards are unavailable to international runners from the race organisers, estimating “fit” with the quality of the field Nairobi attracts is impossible.
Most runners opt to focus on completing the high altitude run and managing running in the heat rather than estimating race times too fiercely. Compared to American races like Chicago Marathon, Boston Marathon, New York Marathon, the Nairobi Marathon has some key differences:
- High altitude of the race
- Temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius
- Only water is available at refreshment stations
- Small number of course spectators to support runners
The Nairobi 10K is open to all international runners who relish the challenge of running in a harsh terrain. Cheaper flights to Kenya and greater choice of accommodation in Nairobi and in Mombasa and the Kenya Coast in the off-peak season may be persuasive for Fall race experience.
The race organisers offer further information on The Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon.
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