Mercy Kwambai and Samson Lemayan were crowned champions of the 25th edition of the Lewa Safari Marathon, held on Saturday at the Lewa Conservancy in Meru County.
The 36-year-old mother of two, clocked 2 hours 47 minutes and 17 seconds to defend her title, for the second year in a row.
Evaline Lagat finished 2nd 3:02:31 ahead of 3rd placed Monica Watetu, who crossed the finish line in 3:20:21 .
“It is exciting to defend my title for the second year. The course was quite hot and tough, with some challenging hilly terrain, but thanks to good preparation and training, I managed to win the race. This is my third time participating in this event; my first was in 2022, where I finished second in the half marathon. I use this race to prepare for other competitions, and I am glad for the positive impact it creates in the community,” said Mercy Kwambai.
Samson Lemayan from Maralal emerged the winner in the men’s race after crossing the finish line in 2:28:35.
John Musee and Joseph Kariuki, settled for second and third place in 2:29:18 and 2:29:36 respectively.
“The first time I participated in this event was in 2018. I didn’t perform well then, but today I’m glad to have emerged as the overall winner. It’s really exciting to see how the marathon has grown and the impact it is creating in the community. I want to commend the organizers and sponsors like Safaricom for making this event a big success,” said Samson Lemayan.
The 21 km men’s category was claimed by Michael Kamau with a time of 1:06:37 followed by Justine Lelitan in 2nd place and Simon Saidimu in 1:07:48 and 1:08:07, respectively.
Mary Waithera,clocked 1 hour 18 minutes and 27 secs to win the women’s half marathon followed by Pauline Ngigi in 1:28:21 and and Susan Wanjiru who finished 3rd in 1:29:04.
Winners of the 42km and 21km races each walked away with KES 150,000. The first runners-up took home KES 80,000 each, while the second runners-up received KES 60,000 each.
“Thank you to all the winners and participants of this year’s Lewa Safari Marathon. As one of the key partners, we are proud of the impact the marathon has made over the past 25 years. We remain committed to this initiative, which supports wildlife conservation while also transforming lives.” Said Dr. Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom PLC CEO.
This year’s marathon attracted over 1,400 participants, both local and international.
Since its inception, the marathon has raised over $9 million with the funds going to support wildlife conservation.
“As we face unprecedented threats to our planet, it is essential that we take action to protect our wildlife and their habitats. Today’s Lewa Safari Marathon participants have seized the opportunity to challenge themselves and connect with nature. They have also made a positive impact on the communities and wildlife of northern Kenya and beyond. Thank you to everyone who took part in this truly challenging event, Kenya’s most spectacular wildlife conservancy.” Said Mike Watson, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy CEO
