Fifth Edition of the Safaricom Deaf Half Marathon Heads Down to Mombasa This Weekend

The fifth edition of the Safaricom Deaf Half Marathon will be held in Mombasa County on Sunday, August 19, 2018.

Some of the notable names that will headline the marathon include Peter Toroitich from Turkana County who is the defending championship from last year's Meru marathon, Daniel Kiptum from Nandi County who is the Gold medalist of the 2017 Sumsun Deaflympic Games, and Simon Kibai from Uasin Gishu County, who is the current 10,000m and 5,000m Gold medalist of the Sumsun Deaflympic Games.

“Most of the expected participants are already in training, and we expect a fantastic show this weekend. We chose Mombasa because of the humid weather and we aim to create more awareness in the coastal areas considering we registered few athletes to the national team from the region. We will use the marathon to select athletes to represent the country in the upcoming deaf champions this year,” said Benard Banja, Secretary General, Deaf Athletics Association of Kenya (DAAK).

As the sponsorship partner, Safaricom PLC has sponsored the meet to a tune of KES 2.5M to the race that brings together deaf athletes from all corners of the country providing them a platform to display their talent.

The winner of the half marathon will walk away with KES100, 000, the 1st runner-up will bag KES 75, 000, with the 2nd runner-up pocketing KES 50, 000. The winner of the 10KM race will bag KES 50,000, while the 1st and 2nd runners-up will receive KES 40, 000 and KES 30,000 respectively.

“We celebrate diversity and inclusivity in all aspects. To us inclusivity goes beyond just hiring people with disabilities, it is about giving them the same opportunities for personal and career growth. This is why we have consistently supported this marathon to its fifth edition. Giving deaf athletes an opportunity such as this is for sure transformational,” said, Charles Kare, Acting Director Consumer Business, Safaricom.

The fifth edition of the Safaricom Deaf Half Marathon will be held in Mombasa County on Sunday, August 19, 2018.

Some of the notable names that will headline the marathon include Peter Toroitich from Turkana County who is the defending championship from last year's Meru marathon, Daniel Kiptum from Nandi County who is the Gold medalist of the 2017 Sumsun Deaflympic Games, and Simon Kibai from Uasin Gishu County, who is the current 10,000m and 5,000m Gold medalist of the Sumsun Deaflympic Games.

“Most of the expected participants are already in training, and we expect a fantastic show this weekend. We chose Mombasa because of the humid weather and we aim to create more awareness in the coastal areas considering we registered few athletes to the national team from the region. We will use the marathon to select athletes to represent the country in the upcoming deaf champions this year,” said Benard Banja, Secretary General, Deaf Athletics Association of Kenya (DAAK).

As the sponsorship partner, Safaricom PLC has sponsored the meet to a tune of KES 2.5M to the race that brings together deaf athletes from all corners of the country providing them a platform to display their talent.

The winner of the half marathon will walk away with KES100, 000, the 1st runner-up will bag KES 75, 000, with the 2nd runner-up pocketing KES 50, 000. The winner of the 10KM race will bag KES 50,000, while the 1st and 2nd runners-up will receive KES 40, 000 and KES 30,000 respectively.

“We celebrate diversity and inclusivity in all aspects. To us inclusivity goes beyond just hiring people with disabilities, it is about giving them the same opportunities for personal and career growth. This is why we have consistently supported this marathon to its fifth edition. Giving deaf athletes an opportunity such as this is for sure transformational,” said, Charles Kare, Acting Director Consumer Business, Safaricom.