By PHILLIP ORWA
Elijah Mbaire and Agnes Mumbua Ndolo emerged the overall winners during the fourth edition of the Betika Lukenya 10 million Trees Marathon held on Saturday, March 28, at Kambu Town.
Mbaire produced a dramatic sprint finish to win the Men’s race after clocking 2:16:44, edging out Charles Munyua Njoki by just one second in one of the closest finishes in the event’s history. While Njoki timed 2:16:45 to take second place, with Dennis Koech securing the third in 2:17:00.
Mbaire expressed gratitude for the victory and revealed that the decisive moment came late in the race. “I’m very thankful for this win. The race was very competitive, and after the 35km mark we were still four athletes together. At that point I decided to go all out and push the pace because I knew the finish would be very tight.”
Mumbua on the other hand won the women’s title in 2:42:56 as Fridah Chepkite Todepa finished second after clocking 2:48:33, while Naomi Wambui Muriuki completed the podium slot in 2:49:29.
Mbaire and Mumbua took home Sh500,000 each while Munyua and Chepkite received Sh200,000 each. Wambui and Koech were awarded Sh100,000 each for finishing third. Prize money will be awarded up to the 10th position in each race category.
The half Marathon Men category was won by Zakariah Kirika Gacugu, who clocked 01:02:06 ahead of Leonard Kiprotich who timed 01:02:21 while Peter Kiprop Rutoh (01:02:38) finished third.
The women’s race was won by Betty Chepkiror who cut the tape in 01:12:02 as Phena Siyoi (01:12:03) and Ruth Mwihaki (01:12:25 finished second and third, in that order.
Betika Group CEO Mutua Mutava said: “We strongly believe in the power of sports to transform lives and create opportunities. Our continued support for events such as the Lukenya Marathon reflects our commitment to nurturing local talent while also bringing communities together around positive initiatives.
Beyond the race itself, we want to ensure that the communities hosting us also benefit. The medical camp is part of our commitment to community impact, providing essential health services and support to residents around Lukenya. We also aim to align ourselves with sustainability efforts that are being put across, and this event gives us the chance to do so as we saw with the planting more than 2000 trees.”
More than 200 athletes had registered for the event that featured a 42KM, 21KM, 10KM, and cycling races pitting an 84-km pro race, a 42km race for those under 23 years, and a thrilling black mamba Race.
Beyond the racing action, the marathon continued to emphasize its environmental mission, seeing a total of 2,200 trees planted during this year’s event, contributing to the broader 10 Million Trees initiative aimed at restoring forest cover and promoting sustainability in the Lukenya ecosystem.
