Standard Chartered Marathon partners with KTB to boost tourism ahead of 20th edition

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and the Standard Chartered Marathon have signed a partnership aimed at positioning the marathon for enhanced international participation ahead of this year’s showpiece.

The strategic collaboration will serve as a catalyst to draw marathon runners and fans to the marathon for the next three years as the country re-positions itself as home of the marathon.

The 20th edition of the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon will be held on October 27. Having attracted over 270,000 participants across its 19 editions, it is currently the largest single-day sporting event in Kenya. This year’s event is expected to attract over 23,000 participants, both local and international.

Standard Chartered Marathon chairman Peter Gitau said: «One of our key performance indicators (KPI’s) is to get as many people as possible from outside the country to participate in the marathon. This is because we believe that the marathon gives Kenya a great opportunity to market Kenya as a tourist destination and this partnership with KTB will give us a great edge.

«This year, our aim was to register 23,000 runners and so far, we are already at 24,000 and the goal will continue to get the marathon marketed outside the country to even get more international participation».

Speaking during the announcement of the partnership, KTB CEO June Chepkemei stated that Kenya’s marathon events serve as the perfect vehicle for showcasing the magic of Kenya to the world. She noted that the partnership will go a long way towards solidifying the country’s reputation as the undisputed home of marathon running.

“There is no better way of marketing Kenya as the home of the marathon than being part of an event that will give the world a chance to come and run with Kenyans. We believe this is just the start and this collaboration will significantly boost visitor numbers for both the event and our country as a whole,” said Chepkemei.

She stated that the country’s stellar global reputation in major sporting disciplines has resonated widely, with many athletes and enthusiasts looking to train and compete in Kenya. She added that KTB will leverage this interest as part of the broader “Run with Champions” campaign.

“Going forward, we are going to partner with like-minded partners to push our sports preposition to the global level. We aim to prominently feature major local marathons as part of enriched, competitive tourism experiences that provide unique training opportunities alongside our legendary champions,” said added.

As part of the Run With Champions initiative, KTB will collaborate with various training camps across the country to offer visiting athletes and fans insights into and experiences showcasing the rich athletic culture that has produced some of the world’s best distance runners.