Organisers of the EldoHub TechRun 10km road race are targeting a bumper field of 2,000 elite athletes for the second edition of the race, set for November 30 at the Central Primary School grounds in Moiben.
The race, which attracted 1,000 runners in its inaugural edition last year, has doubled its ambitions in participation for this year. Further, a lucrative prize pot of Sh1.2 million will be up for grabs.
The prize pot will see the men’s and women’s champions each pocket Sh200,000, with the runners-up earning Sh100,000 and third-place finishers walking away with Sh75,000.
The bounty, however, extends well beyond the podium. Fourth place will net Sh50,000, fifth Sh30,000, while athletes finishing sixth through 10th will receive Sh20,000 each. Those placing 11th to 15th will each take home Sh10,000. Magdaline Chepkemoi, founder and CEO of EldoHub, underlined the scale of their ambitions.
“Last year we hosted the inaugural edition of the EldoHub TechRun, which was a bold experiment,” she said. “We were able to attract 1,000 elite athletes. This year, we are targeting more than 2,000 participants.”
She confirmed that the venue remains unchanged, with Athletics Kenya providing technical guidance. “We will once again host the event at the Central Primary School grounds, and Athletics Kenya will guide us on how to proceed because they are the experts,” she added.
Beyond the prize purse, Chepkemoi emphasised that the TechRun was conceived with a greater mission, equipping young people with entrepreneurship and innovation skills.
“We started TechRun to create awareness about technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship,” she noted. Uasin Gishu County’s CEC for Youth and ICT, Robert Kemei, echoed the sentiment, saying the county is committed to making the 2025 edition bigger and better. “We held the first edition last year and are now looking forward to an even bigger event,” Kemei said.
He noted that preparations were in full swing. “Preparations are already nearly 60 per cent complete, and we are very excited as a county.”
Kemei further highlighted the lucrative prize pot. ”This is the biggest reward money for road races we have in the country.”
The inaugural edition produced blistering performances, with John Lomon storming to the men’s crown in 29:19, ahead of Bernard Lang’at (29:34) and Cornelius Kemboi (29:47).
In the women’s race, Christine Njoki reigned supreme, clocking 32:35 to outclass Maurine Toroitich (32:53) and Christine Chesiro (33:02).
by TEDDY MULEI
