WESLEY KIBET AND CAROLINE KILEL TO RUN AT MAMA SARAH OBAMA KOGELO MARATHON 2013 BMW Frankfurt Marathon Champion Caroline Kilel and 2012 Standard Chartered Marathon champion Wesley Kibet shall be among a long list of elite athletes who will battle it out at the 2014 Mama Sarah Obama Kogelo Road Race on 6th December 2014 in Kogelo, Siaya. Kilel who is also Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Marathon Silver Medalist, Boston Marathon Champion and two times Masai Mara Marathon Champion is currently training to be in top shape when she runs among some of the top key competitors at 15km Kogelo road race. Kibet seemed excited and optimistic at the chance to set the 15km race course record as he did at 2012 Standard Chartered. Am happy to participate in this event to help boost the profile of this international race and I would like to international elite athletes and participants to turn up in large numbers to compete with Kenyan athletes here at home. Many times we go abroad in large numbers to run and it’s important we have other international runners and participants come to Kenya as well to run with us. Kogelo Marathon is a perfect opportunity as they come to see home of the Obamas. said Kibet from Kericho as he trains among many other athletes for the race. Kogelo Road Race organizers have been visiting various training camps to identify upcoming athletes, encouraging them to prepare for the road race which will be a training ground for next year calendar of local and international race competitions. The Kogelo Road Race Technical Director Mr. Samuel Koech is optimistic a new record will easily be set in this year’s event as the course is favourable for the 15km race. It is also a perfect opportunity to identify new talent as we will focus not just on the winners but those who are showing potential in becoming future champions. To encourage many athletes to turn up we are offering free accommodation, dinner and breakfast so that athletes can have time to relax to take part in the event. The winners in the 15km men and women’s categories will each take home KShs. 150,000, will also see other top 10 finishers awarded. The registration process for the participants is taking place at all Post Offices countrywide at Kshs. 1,000 for local participants. The international participants are registering online at kogelomarathon at US$ 50 Dollars. “Registration so far is impressive as anyone can register to participate conveniently at the nearest post office countrywide. All they need to carry is their National ID or Passport and fill a deposit slip which they shall use to get an entry form on the day of the event. Tourists and other international participants are finding it very convenient to register securely online at Kogelo Marathon website using their VISA or Mastercard.” Koech said. The race which is the brainchild of Mama Sarah Obama and Safeguard Orphans and Widows Organization (SOWO) aims at raising funds towards programs in aid of orphans and widows twenty counties in Kenya worst affected by HIV/AIDS . Kenya is currently ranked fourth globally on HIV/AIDS prevalence. Siaya County is among the worst affected counties with orphans and widows bearing the brunt of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Mama Sarah Obama is currently supporting education program for orphans through SOWO to 834 children across three counties in primary, secondary and university by paying their schools fees and providing uniforms. This program shall be extended to other counties in 2015. The race also aims to promote cohesion among different communities, identify and promote athletics talents and enhances Kenya’s international image and profile through tourism. SOWO Patron, Dr. Sarah Obama is the grandmother of the US President Barack Obama and was last week honored with an award at a Womens Entrepreneurship Day at the United Nations for her decades of work in aid of the girl child, orphans, widows and other vulnerable children. She is currently finishing her two weeks visit to the US where she has been in Newyork and Washington DC to promote her charity work.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 17:05:23 +0000
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