Eldoret: Fireworks is expected in Eldoret when top cream athletes, will be facing-off at the Athletics Kenya National Cross-Country championships, the bronze label event at the Eldoret Sports Club, Saturday February 8th 2025. Organizers of the event led by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Chairman, Abraham Mutai, said that preparations to host the big event are almost coming to an end, with three days to the event.
According to Kenya News Agency, the athletes will be competing in three events, the 6km and 8km junior women and men, 10km senior women and men and the 2km men and women that will start at 12 noon. This will be the third time Eldoret City will be hosting the National Cross-country Championships. The first one in 2019 at the Eldoret Sports Club and the 2022 at the Lobo Village in Kapseret.
Mutai said that they have already received teams from all regions and affiliates with big names coming to compete for the top prizes that will usher track and field events, which start immediately. ‘As a Federation, we have improved the prize money for the winners, courtesy of our sponsor Betika, AMACO, County Government of Uasin Gishu and other sponsors, who have come in,’ said Mutai.
With over 500 competing athletes, were selected during the Regional Champions (Western, Nyanza North, Nyanza South, Central Rift, South Rift, North Rift, Nairobi, Southern, Coast, central, North Eastern and Eastern regions), the Federations affiliates (Kenya Defense Forces, Kenya Police service, Universities and Kenya Prisons service). Others include National Youth Serve, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest service.
According to the prizes, winners in the 10km senior men and women will pocket Sh 200,000, junior men and women will earn Sh 140,000 while 2km loop winners will carry home Sh 50,000 and will trickle down to 10th finisher who will earn Sh 10,000 in each category. Technical Director, Ibrahim Hussein, noted that the course had some slight changes, not too radical where viewing will be witnessed from every corner.
‘The technical officers have been identified who are national technical persons. There is an improvement every year that helps us to have slight changes such as the man-made hills. The venue is close to town, very convenient to many people will be able come and watch.
The event Director, Kennedy Tanui, said that they are working round the clock, to ensure there is sufficient compliance to the standard for the national championships. ‘The entries have been done. We closed the entries on Tuesday night, now we are the start list is being worked on, we have gallery of stars coming, arriving on Thursday evening, they will be accommodated. On Friday after the arrival, we will do bib collection, done by an individual athlete as by the rule. We urge athletes to come a pick their bibs,’ said Tanui.