Nairobi Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon is Kenya's biggest road race, held on a Sunday in October with a marathon, a half marathon, a 10K, a 5K family run and a 21K wheelchair race. All categories start at the CALE entrance on Southern Bypass Road, outside the Carnivore grounds. The 42K, 21K, 10K and wheelchair races finish at Uhuru Gardens, and the 5K finishes on the bypass. The route follows the Southern Bypass, a dual carriageway along the edge of Nairobi National Park, and the marathon has a long climb from roughly 10 km to its high point near 30 km. The race was first held in 2003. It used to start and finish at Nyayo National Stadium via Uhuru Highway and Mombasa Road, and moved to the Southern Bypass in 2021 when Uhuru Highway came under construction for the Nairobi Expressway; the 2020 edition was cancelled because of COVID-19. The 23rd edition on 25 October 2026 drew more than 30,000 registered runners and more than 200 elite athletes, and entries sold out. The men's course record is 2:10:12, set by Moses Kigen in 2009.