Enos Kales and Winnie Jepkosgei were crowned the champions of the inaugural Lake Ol’Bolossat Half Marathon held today in Nyandarua County.
Kales braved the chilly weather to take the top honours in the men’s race after clocking 1:06:15 ahead of Amos Mitei and Nicholas Kiplimo, who finished second and third in 1:06:43 and 1:06:54, respectively.
“I have been training for this race and today I am happy to go to records as the first winner of the inaugural Ol’Bolossat Half marathon. I want to believe the organizers are going to expand it and make it a full marathon and more competitive to attract more professional athletes,” said Kales.
Jepkosgei triumphed in the women’s race, clocking 1:14:39, ahead of Vivian Jerotich, who finished second in 1:14:55, while Beatrice Chepkemoi settled for the third position in 1:16:44.
“This is my first time competing here and the chilly weather made the running more comfortable. I thank the organizers and sponsors like Safaricom for supporting this race not just for athletes but also for promoting sports tourism in this region,”said Jepkosgei.
At the same time, Samuel Njihia claimed the men’s 10km title in 28:43 with Faith Chepkoech claiming the women’s title in 32:31.
Ernest Kiprotich and Naomi Chepng’eno, the first runners-up, as well as Kipyegon Nehemiah and Virginia Nyambura, the second runners-up in the 10km race, each took home KES 75,000 and KES 50,000, respectively. The 5km race was won by Zacharia Mwangi and Maria Andoti.