Abraham Kiptum and Mercy Kandie Rotich win Kenya's Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon

Abraham Kiptum, a 37-year-old Kenyan, won the men's 42km race at the 23rd Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon on Sunday, 25 October 2026, and Mercy Kandie Rotich won the women's 42km race, the Kenyan broadcaster K24 and the Kenyan news site Eastleigh Voice reported on their websites the same day. Paris Gerono finished second in the women's race and Ruth Wakabu third.

Rotich said after the race that the opening 15 kilometres had been particularly demanding. Kiptum had missed last year's edition. The organisers' prize table pays KSh 2 million to each 42km winner, KSh 1 million for second place and KSh 500,000 for third; the half-marathon winners receive KSh 300,000.

"Today's race has been great, from the start to the finish line," Kiptum said after the race.

The Nairobi title follows his win in the 42km at the CRDB Bank International Marathon in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 16 August 2026, where he ran 2:15:33. Fellow Kenyan James Mwangi was second in 2:16:11.

World Athletics lists Kiptum's date of birth as 15 September 1989 and his marathon best as 2:05:26, run on 15 October 2017, when he finished third in Amsterdam. His half-marathon best is 59:09, from 16 September 2018. He won the Daegu Marathon in South Korea in 2018 in 2:06:29.

In 2019 the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) banned Kiptum for four years for an Athlete Biological Passport violation. The ban ran from 26 April 2019, and all his results from 13 October 2018 onwards were annulled, including the 58:18 he ran at the Valencia Half Marathon that year, which had been hailed as a world record. He returned to competition in 2024.

The full marathon started outside Carnivore on Southern Bypass Road and finished at Uhuru Gardens. The programme also included a 21km half marathon, a 10km run, a 5km family fun run and a 21km wheelchair half marathon. The Standard reported on 8 September that more than 30,000 participants were expected.

The National Police Service closed the Southern Bypass completely from midnight on Saturday, 24 October, until 3pm on Sunday, Capital FM reported, with partial closures and security restrictions on sections of Lang'ata Road and Ngong Road near Uhuru Gardens and Nairobi National Park.

The 2025 race, run on 26 October 2025, was won by Benard Chepkwony in 2:11:01 and Hellen Chepkorir in 2:27:17.

"For now, I am going to focus on family matters and prepare for the upcoming races," Kiptum said.