Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon 2026: more than 30,000 runners expected on Sunday 25 October

The 23rd Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon takes place on Sunday 25 October 2026. Organisers expect more than 30,000 runners from 102 nationalities, including more than 400 elite athletes, Citizen Digital reported.

The races

The programme has eight categories: the 42 km marathon, the 21 km half marathon, a 10 km road race, a 21 km wheelchair race, a 5 km family fun run, the CEO Challenge, the Corporate Challenge and a satellite run in Mombasa, according to Eastleigh Voice.

Citizen Digital reports a record 30,700 registered runners and KSh273 million in sponsorship: KSh130 million from Standard Chartered and KSh143 million from 56 other partners. The KSh90 million fundraising target for community programmes has already been met. Since 2003 the race has drawn more than 345,000 participants and raised about KSh520 million through the Standard Chartered Foundation.

Standard Chartered says the 102 nationalities are up from 92 in 2025, and Capital FM reports the field includes athletes from Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Brazil and Ethiopia.

Finishers will each be given a tree seedling as organisers and Nairobi City County aim to plant 50,000 trees, Citizen Digital reports. There will be 20 water points on the course, and medics on bicycles will patrol the route.

Races start outside Carnivore on Southern Bypass Road: the 21km wheelchair race at 5:45 a.m., the 42km at 6:00, the 21km at 7:20, the 10km at 8:45 and the 5km Family Fun Run, a rolling start, at 10:00. The 10km, 21km, 42km and wheelchair races finish at Uhuru Gardens, the organisers say.

Marathon winners in the men's and women's races each receive KSh2 million; runners-up get KSh1 million and third-placed finishers KSh500,000. In the 21km, the winners each receive KSh300,000, with KSh200,000 for second and KSh150,000 for third, according to the organisers' website.

Last year's champions

Bernard Chepkwony won the 2025 men's marathon in 2:11:01 and Hellen Chepkorir won the women's race in 2:27:17 on her marathon debut. Joshua Githuku (1:02:35) and Karen Wainaina (1:10:40) won the half marathon, and John Wambua won the wheelchair race, Citizen Digital reported.

Pimeys will publish verified results on race day, linked to the official timing source. This is independent coverage by Pimeys Sports News; Pimeys is not affiliated with the organisers or the title sponsor.

The 2026 race runs under the theme "Now It Is Your Turn", which Local Organising Committee chair David Mwindi called "a rallying call for individuals of all ages and abilities". The route runs along the Southern Bypass with Nairobi National Park as the backdrop, Capital FM reported.