Elijah Mbaire and Agnes Mumbua Ndolo emerged as the men’s and women’s champions, respectively, at the Lukenya 10 Million Trees Marathon held on Saturday, 28 March, at Kambu Town.In the men’s race, Mbaire produced a dramatic sprint finish to claim victory in 2:16:44, edging out Charles Munyua Njoki by just one second in one of the closest finishes in the event’s history.Njoki clocked 2:16:45 to take second place, while Dennis Koech secured third in 2:17:00.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsReflecting on his win, Mbaire expressed gratitude for the victory and revealed that the decisive moment came late in the race.“I’m very thankful for this win. The race was very competitive, and after the 35km mark we were still four athletes together. At that point I decided to go all out and push the pace because I knew the finish would be very tight,” said Mbaire.Meanwhile, Mumbua delivered a strong performance to win the women’s title in 2:42:56 as Fridah Chepkite Todepa finished second after clocking 2:48:33, while Naomi Wambui Muriuki completed the podium in 2:49:29.Latest infrastructure update from Talanta Stadium [VIDEO]Mbaire and Mumbua took home Ksh500,000 each while Munyua and Chepkite received Ksh200,000 each. Wambui and Koech were awarded Ksh100,000 each for finishing third. Prize money will be awarded up to the 10th position in each race category.Elsewhere, Half Marathon action saw Zakariah Kirika Gacugu storm to victory in the men’s category after clocking 01:02:06 ahead of Leonard Kiprotich who timed 01:02:21, with Peter Kiprop Rutoh (01:02:38) finishing third.##NAJAVA_MECA_9629327##In the women’s race, Betty Chepkiror cut the tape first in 01:12:02 as Phena Siyoi (01:12:03) and Ruth Mwihaki (01:12:25 finished second and third, in that order.Beyond the race itself, organisers ensure that the communities hosting the event also benefit. A medical camp is part of that commitment to community impact, providing essential health services and support to residents around Lukenya.The marathon continued to emphasize its environmental mission, seeing a total of 2,200 trees planted during this year’s event, contributing to the broader 10 Million Trees initiative aimed at restoring forest cover and promoting sustainability in the Lukenya ecosystem.Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo continues to decry lack of funding
135