Benson Murkomen pulled out all stops to win the men’s 42km at the fourth edition of the Nairobi City Marathon on Sunday morning.
Ecstatic and emotional, the winner celebrated his long-awaited first career victory.
“I am very happy to have won here today because this is something I have wanted for so long. I competed in this race in 2022 but things didn’t go well for me because I finished eighth. However, I was always determined to make things right and today I have done it,” said Murkomen in a post-race interview.
The Iten-based runner had to be calculative on a cold Sunday morning during which he also had to be wary of an elite competition keen on the top prize as he was.
He showed nerves of steel to stave off the challenge of Limo who was always lurking in readiness to pounce on any slip up by Murkomen.
However, the winner did just enough to collect his first win, along with KES 3.5 million for all his troubles.
“This is a very nice bounty that will go a long way in elevating my life and that of my family. It wasn’t an easy race and I had to be brave and determined at the same time…not to lose my concentration,” Murkomen said.
It was his first race since October last year, when he finished 19th at the Frankfurt Marathon after clocking 2:16:09.
That same year, he finished a disappointing 44th at the Sevilla Marathon in Spain, clocking 2:10:34.
In the women’s category, it was an unforgettable morning for Emily Chepkemoi as she put on a stunning performance to win the title.
Chepkemoi stopped the timer at 2:25:45 to take first place, ahead of Vivian Jerotich (2:26:31) and Lucy Chelele (2:26:35), in second and third respectively.
Chepkemoi infamously ran in the same race in 2022 but did not finish after stumbling midway.
Sunday was the perfect chance for redemption and she grabbed it with both hands, cruising to victory in emphatic fashion.
“The last time I ran here I fell and dropped out of the race because of an injury. This time, even with some discomfort with 12km left to go, I was determined to finish and win the race,” she said.
For her part, Jerotich admitted defeat, noting that she struggled to catch up with Chepkemoi, as hard as she tried.
“It was a very tough race today but I tried to push on. I am glad to have finished second and on the podium. She (Chepkemoi) deserved to win because she was really strong and very tactical in her running,” she said.
Chepkemoi pocketed KES 3.5 million for the win as Jerotich went home KES 2.25 million richer. On the other hand, Chelele received KES 1.5 million.
