Marathon de Nairobi

Line up the winners of the world's biggest marathons on a single photo and you’ll basically get a Kenyan promo album 🇰🇪. The Nairobi City Marathon sets its starting arch in the heart of Nairobi, a capital nicknamed the “ Green City Under the Sun ” ✨. Every June, the city trades its legendary traffic for a sea of bibs and celebrates running on one of East Africa’s most coveted asphalt ribbons 🏃. A rising star on the international calendar, the event climbs the ranks as fast as a Kenyan pushed downhill and plunges you straight into the world’s marathon cradle 🏆.

It all started in 2022, under the name “ Uhuru Classic” 🙂. For its baptism, the organizers pulled off a clever bit of PR: letting participants run on the brand-new Nairobi Expressway, before a single car had even touched a tire 🛞. A first in East Africa and Central Africa, which immediately drew nearly 10,000 runners — and even the First Lady of the country on the discovery format 💡. Since then, the event has run yearly editions and grown visibly. It proves that an idea born as a simple dream can take root in just a few seasons 🌱.

The course traditionally kicks off from the Nyayo Stadium before joining the Expressway, which offers a panoramic view of the entire metropolis 🏙️. As smooth as possible, this flat route lets the legs do the talking and sends the times flying ⚡️. It’s a true crowd crush for personal record chasers! The runners then plunge into downtown, parading along Kenyatta Avenue and Moi Avenue, where the crowd amplifies its cheers 📣. The marathon shares the stage with a half-marathon, a 10 km on the Expressway, and a family 5 km — to delight both the time-keepers and the weekend runners 🥇.

On the trophy side, the event does not hold back! 🤓 In July 2025, Benson Tunyo Murkomen clocked the 42.195 km in 2h08"36', while Emily Chepkemoi crossed at 2h22"45' — two local records that dethroned last year’s marks 🔥. Participation is on the rise: 10,000 bibs at the start, then 13,000, 15,000, and 17,000 registered for 2026, all sold out long before race day ☄️. Even more telling, runners arrive from 75 countries, from China to Ethiopia, including Japan or the United Kingdom 🇬🇧.

The race also cultivates an proudly claimed eco-friendly ethos. Under the banner “Going Green”, organizers partner with several environmental organizations and install air quality sensors at key points along the course. These actions remind us that running and caring for the planet go hand in hand ♻️. The vibe swings between sports fervor and street festival vibes: relaxed families on the 5 km, world-class elite keeping an eye out, and a fresh theme each year 🎶. We run as much to test our legs as to write a love letter to the local asphalt 📍.

Once the finishers’ medal goes around the neck, Nairobi unfolds landscapes with no transitions 🦓. Dubbed the “ global safari capital ”, the city houses the Nairobi National Park, the only reserve in the world where lions and giraffes pose with skyscrapers in the background 😲. And for those with heavy legs, a plate of nyama choma, the national grilled meat, served with a Kenyan coffee renowned around the globe, will hit the spot perfectly ☕.

Between a rapid-as-lightning course and a country that produces the world’s best runners, the Nairobi City Marathon leaves you with one certainty: here, nobody lifts a foot up 🙂.