Nyandarua: Amos Kiprotich and Evalyne Chirchir, residents from Keringet in Nakuru County, claimed victory in the men's and women's 21-kilometer races respectively during the second edition of the Lake Olbolosat Half Marathon held in Nyandarua County on Sunday.
According to Kenya News Agency, Kiprotich delivered an impressive performance, overtaking teammate Vincent Kimutai Towett with just 500 meters remaining to finish first at Lake Olbolosat, the only highland lake in the country. Towett, who trains at the Run2Gether camp in Longonot, Naivasha, was initially confident of winning, only to be surpassed in the final stretch. Kiprotich clocked a time of one hour, three minutes, and seven seconds (63:07), securing the top prize of Sh250,000. Towett, a former Hamburg half marathon winner, finished second with a time of 63:16, closely followed by Shadrack Kipng'etich in 63:17.
Towett expressed his thoughts on the race, saying, "I had believed I was winning the race but things changed with only 300 meters to go. But I am thankful for the second position."
In the women's category, Chirchir, who was the first runner-up in the Plague Marathon last month, expressed surprise at her victory in Nyandarua with a time of 1:12:28. She was followed by Jackline Chepngeno, who completed the race in 1:13:20. Chirchir remarked, "Having run a marathon last month, I came here for practice and did not expect to win but it was a surprise to emerge the winner."
The winners noted that the Nyandarua altitude, similar to Keringet and Longonot, worked to their advantage. The half marathon also featured shorter races of 10km and 5km for elite and wheelchair athletes, with winners receiving cash prizes. The event was flagged off by Governor Moses Kiarie Badilisha at Equator 'Zero Latitude' on the Nyahururu-Ol Kalou highway, with the course branching off to the lake at Kasuku trading center.