Nairobi Marathon

The first leg heads east, with Nairobi National Park on the right, past the Mombasa Road interchange to the turn by the ICD, which the organiser puts 7.9 km from the start. The same road brings runners back past the start at about km 15.7.

The second leg goes west, past the Lang’ata Road and Ngong Road interchanges, to the turning point short of the Dagoretti Road interchange at km 28.7. The last 13.5 km come back the same way, leave the bypass at the Lang’ata Road interchange and finish inside Uhuru Gardens.

Measured

The first 8 km fall 47 m to the low point of the race at the eastern turn. From there the road climbs for 21 km: gently back past the start, then harder west of it, with 87 m gained between km 16 and km 20 alone, up to 1,873 m at the western turn.

After km 29 there are only 3 m of climbing left. The way home drops from 1,873 m to 1,692 m at the finish, so the last third of the race is nearly all downhill.

Measured

The 2026 race runs along the Southern Bypass, with Nairobi National Park beside the road: the only national park inside a capital city. The marathon, the half marathon, the 10 km and the wheelchair race all finish at Uhuru Gardens.

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On Sunday 25 October 2026 the full marathon goes off at 5:45 am, with runners asked to arrive at 4:45 am and assemble at 5:35 am. The half marathon follows at 7:05 am, the 10 km at 8:45 am and the 5 km family fun run at 10:00 am; only the half-marathon wheelchair race, at 5:30 am, starts earlier. Roads along the route close from 11:00 pm on Saturday 24 October, and every race starts promptly at its scheduled time.

The 2026 race has twenty water stations along the route and in the marathon village, with water, fruit and oral rehydration salts at designated points.

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