Every last Sunday of October, the city of Nairobi wakes up to the Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon. This has been the tradition for 20 years plus. The 2025 edition was no different and it was a pleasure being part of a training community – to cheer each other on as we prepared for our respective races. For starters, it helps to prepare for a race – mental and physical strength is important – even if you are running for the fun of it as is often the case when participating in the 5 km family race.
As I had missed last year’s marathon entry, thanks to late habits, this year I made sure to be an early bird. And that helped as tickets sold out pretty fast especially for the 10km race. In a training community of 19 members, we embarked on preparation using the Standard Chartered Marathon’s 6-week inclusive training programme. The guide was developed by Douglas Wakiihuri, drawing on his years of expertise and experience in the field of athletics. There are otherwise several training clubs or guide materials online thanks to organizers’ years of experience and effort to make each year’s event a better experience for all participants. You can check out this link https://www.nairobimarathon.com/training/
My training period was not an all-roses affair. The first week went well, I pushed myself hard to hit the targets and was super proud of myself – having not exactly run for a while. As a community, we kept tabs of individual performances via fitness apps, so I would highly recommend getting one of those if you are ever preparing for a marathon. Here is a comprehensive guide on best running apps in 2025. Most runners I interacted with over my training period were subscribed to Strava, hence I would vouch for it even though I use something different – don’t ask me why. Let’s just say I am old school or prefers less personalized apps/social platforms.
In my 2nd week of training, I suffered a runner’s knee injury which affected the plan but did not stop me. I changed tactic and focussed on strength building first via this ultimate 20-minute home workout. I found it quite handy and would recommend it if you have a busy schedule but still needs to get something done, say indoors, before you wrap the day. I think it is also important to mention that:
It is okay to take a break and recover from an injury, otherwise you probably get worse and may never recover at all.
So, whereas you might have a pre-defined training routine, this is not cast in stone. You may need to tailor it to your specific condition at any given point in time– be your own person and do what works best for you without feeling a sense of pressure to hit targets like everybody else, especially if part of a community. But by all means, draw inspiration from your peers and learn from their experiences. For example, we had a member who was training outdoor and escaped a traumatic daylight robbery by a whisker – unfortunately, another athlete became the victim. This was a useful lesson for the rest of us – avoid solo outdoor sprints unless in a safe environment, consider the timing and devices in use as well – not too late in the evening or too early in the day when there is little to no activity going on. A running group comes in handy to help improve security so take that option if it is available. Beware of your surrounding while moving – this especially applies to those of us who run with head or earphones. Jogging or running provides a good opportunity to catch up with podcasts, news or music – but this ought to be done with caution. Avoid carrying valuable items for your runs.
I had to be away for a significant proportion of the training period which meant not having time to run outdoor as I’d envisaged. Initially, this got me worried. But with the support of a friend, we somehow made things work (or at least tried to meet the original goals half-way, the means notwithstanding). I remember jokingly saying that it literally felt like I was on a marathon every day. This away experience was a blessing in disguise, because it showed how you can make things work – or shall I say, where there is a will there is a way. Because many are the times we easily get trapped into a lifestyle of little to no movement. For example, I intentionally take staircases rather than jumping into lifts or escalators unless inevitable. Do not ever underestimate the power of walking. You can check out my 2021 blog posts where I shared my experience as part of a walkathon challenge focussed on health and fitness.
Compared to my previous Nairobi marathon experiences, I felt that this year’s deliberate effort to be part of a training community made a huge difference. Even though not all of us showed up on the race day, there was a great sense of support and exchange which was helpful. Would I do it again? Yes! And the beauty of this is you need not join an existing club or large community of people you barely know; you can easily gather like-minded friends or colleagues and form your own small community. This is especially for the introverted fellows who feel more comfortable engaging in small known circles.
Lastly, it is important to have a reason why you are doing something. And taking part in a marathon is no different. For example, elite athletes go in there in readiness for a bigger challenge or to bag awards, corporates might do it as part of their CSR commitments, friends might do it to have time for social bonding etc. In my case, the ideologies behind future makers initiative have always been my driving factor – so it’s not so much about breaking a record but more about where the proceeds go. For example, knowing that due to my registration or participation, more tech start-ups get to be coached, funded or mentored to achieve more is something I completely get satisfaction in being a part of every year. But I also enjoy the bonus of personal fitness journey that comes with it – especially this year’s having taken part in a preparation program. I therefore look forward to the 2026 edition of the marathon – and participating whether physically or virtually. In the meantime, the real work on ground of inspiring the future makers must continue. And looking forward to seeing how that turns out.
Until the next marathon season, happy moments crafting or following a training routine that works for you.