Message from the CEO

Much gratitude to our partners, sponsors, clients, colleagues and marathon enthusiasts for the commitment and agility shown in last year’s edition of marathon. Despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, you embraced our new virtual marathon format and 2,500 joined us for the physical marathon on our new route along the Southern Bypass. We also planted over 5,000 trees.

A special recognition goes to Athletics Kenya for the endorsement and collaboration in delivering the marathon over the last 18 editions. Our promise is to keep growing and making the marathon better.

Last year, we started the journey of ensuring our marathon goes beyond a sporting event to become a platform for driving our sustainability and community engagement initiatives. At Standard Chartered, our aim is to minimise the negative impact of our events and drive positive change wherever we can.

The bank recently launched its first sustainability impact report which marked our public commitment to become the world’s most sustainable and responsible bank. We are making conscious and deliberate efforts to ensure that the same is reflected in our marathon. In line with our sustainability initiative, we are committed to a create a marathon platform that:-

• delivers mass-participation sporting events that improve health, wellbeing and provide a sense of achievement to our participants
• is open, inclusive and stimulate community engagement, civic engagement and local economic development
• provides a platform to inspire others to better themselves
• promotes innovation, collaboration and solidarity amongst participants and spectators
• has a positive impact on the natural environment

Our partnership with Kenya Forest Services allowed us to create awareness on the importance of green spaces within our cities. We hosted pre-marathon events at the Nairobi Arboretum, Karura Forest, Ngong Forest Sanctuary. As we countdown towards marathon day, I urge all of you to continue using these spaces for your preparations.

We will continue to champion for diversity and inclusion within the marathon. We will be partnering with Light for World, SightSavers and APDK to help train People with Disabilities prepare for the marathon. We will also ensure that they are recruited to be part of the team that will be organising the marathon.

Through the slogan of ‘a tree per runner’ we target to plant at least 25,000 trees. We acknowledge that the realisation of our ambition will be propelled through partnerships with stakeholders.

The19th edition of the marathon promises to be bigger and better. This year, the physical marathon will be held on Sunday 30st October 2022 at the Southern Bypass with Uhuru gardens as the marathon venue while the virtual marathon will be done from Sunday 23rd October 2022 to Sunday 30th October 2022. We target to have 25,000 runners – 15,000 for the physical marathon and 10,000 for the virtual marathon.

I invite all of you to register and join us for the virtual or physical marathon. You will be supporting our Futuremakers initiative to support the youth to learn, earn and grow.

Mobilise your family, friends and colleagues to join us and Run As One.

Asanteni.

Kariuki Ngari,
Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya