Maurine Jepkoech Chebor, and Sandrafelis Chebet will lead a strong women’s field at the fifth edition of the Betika Cross Country this Saturday, October 10, at the Kericho Teachers Training College as more than 900 men and women athletes battle for the titles.
Last year’s runners-up Abigael Chepkoech and third-place finisher Diana Chepkemoi will also return to Kericho with the aim of going one-better this time around.
Chepkoech clocked 33:54.73 to finish runner-up to winner Caren Chebet last year, while Chepkemoi completed the podium in 34:13.85.
Leading the field alongside them is Chebor, who comes into the race following an impressive season that included successfully defending her Betika BingwaFest National Finals 10,000m title in Meru. She clocked 32:17.2 at Kinoru Stadium to retain the title she won during the inaugural edition.
The men’s 10km race will be headlined by 2023 Kenyan National Cross Country champion Charles Katul Lokir and 2021 World Under-20 3,000m steeplechase champion Amos Serem with a fresh podium expected following the absence of Victor Kimosop, Charles kakuri, and Mathew Koech who finished first, second, and third, respectively, last year.
Lokir and Serem will lead a men’s field featuring a mixture of established athletes and emerging runners, all competing for a share of the KES1.19 million prize pool.
Betika Head of Brand Eric Mwiti said: “Last year’s race showed us just how much talent and competitive spirit exists within the running community in Kericho and across the country. This year, we are bringing together another strong field, including athletes who have already competed at the highest level and emerging runners looking to make their mark using such a platform. We are excited to see how this year’s athletes respond to the challenge and look forward to another memorable day in Kericho.”
This year, the Kericho event will feature Senior Men’s and Women’s 10km races, a Mixed Relay and a Masters 50+ competition. Winners in the Senior Men’s and Women’s 10km will take home KES 150,000 each, while runners-up will receive KES 100,000 and third-place finishers KES 75,000. Fourth place will earn KES 50,000, fifth KSh40,000, while athletes finishing sixth to 10th will each receive KES 20,000.
The Mixed Relay winners will take home KES 50,000, with KES 30,000 and KES 20,000 going to the second- and third-placed teams respectively. In the Masters 50+ category, the top six finishers will each receive KES 10,000.
Athletes are expected to collect their race bibs on Friday, October 9, ahead of race day on Saturday, October 10. The races guns off at 8:00am