Stanchart has the longer history and larger reported field. Nairobi City offers bigger full-marathon prizes and the Expressway experience. Here is how Nairobi's two major marathons compare, from their origins to what ordinary runners pay.
For more than two decades, the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon has been one of the defining events on Nairobi's running calendar. For many recreational runners, simply saying "Stanchart" is enough to identify the race.
But Nairobi now has another major marathon with a different selling point: running on the Expressway, with bigger rewards for the full-marathon field.
The Nairobi City Marathon has given the capital a second event around which to build training plans and personal goals. Its arrival makes the old assumption that Stanchart leads in every category harder to defend.
So which race really runs Nairobi?
Stanchart leads on history and reported participation. Nairobi City leads on full-marathon prize money. The comparison becomes more interesting when you look beyond those two measures.
The first Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon took place on 2 November 2003, with Philip Kirui and Alice Chelagat winning the men's and women's races. Each received Ksh 500,000, documented in both World Athletics' preview and its race-day report.
Standard Chartered provided the title sponsorship, with Athletics Kenya organising the sporting competition. The ambitions included promoting Kenya internationally, giving local athletes opportunities, boosting tourism and raising money for the bank's Seeing is Believing initiative.
A 2011 bank press release puts inaugural registrations at 6,000. That is an attributed historical figure: later accounts of the starting field differ.
Stanchart is older than Nairobi City, but Kenya's marathon history goes further back. A Coastweek issue from October 1985 records the first Mombasa Marathon, while Lewa's organisers date their first race to 2000. Calling Stanchart Kenya's oldest marathon would therefore be inaccurate.
The event also has a break in its history. The 2020 race was cancelled because of COVID-19, before returning in 2021 with a smaller physical event and a virtual option. Its 2021 runners guide introduced the Southern Bypass route, with a planned physical field of 2,500 elite runners.
The Nairobi City Marathon debuted on 8 May 2022, almost 19 years after Stanchart. Brimin Kipkorir Misoi and Agnes Barsosio won the inaugural full marathons, with the event based at Nyayo National Stadium and taking runners onto the newly constructed Expressway. Citizen Digital's contemporary report documents the launch and winners.
It was also promoted as the Uhuru Classic, linking the event to then-president Uhuru Kenyatta and the infrastructure project associated with his administration.
That origin gave it a different identity from the bank-sponsored race. Nairobi City presented the capital itself as the attraction, combining elite competition with the opportunity to run above roads normally occupied by vehicles.
Its organising network differs too. Golazo Right Here identifies itself as the official organiser, working alongside Athletics Kenya and other partners. The race is a separate event from Stanchart, despite the similar names.
Stanchart's older route passed through the CBD and along Mombasa Road, finishing inside Nyayo Stadium. The bank's 2011 route description captures that earlier race.
Its modern identity centres on the Southern Bypass. For 2026, the official race information places the start at the CALE entrance on the bypass. The marathon, half marathon, 10km and wheelchair races finish at Uhuru Gardens, while the 5km finishes on the bypass.
Nairobi City's 2026 marathon route information places its start at City Hall and finish at Uhuru Park, with the Expressway providing the defining stretch.
Uhuru Gardens and Uhuru Park are different venues, an easy detail to confuse in race announcements.
Both courses have evolved. An old map or race review may describe a different experience from the next edition. The current course guide matters more than familiarity with the event name.
Standard Chartered's April 2026 awards release reports 30,602 participants from 92 nationalities at its 2025 race. The 10km alone accounted for 12,855, showing how much of the event's scale comes from shorter distances.
Nairobi City's fifth edition, held on 7 June 2026, drew a reported 17,450 participants from 75 countries, according to The Standard. The Star also reported 17,450.
These are the latest completed editions available for comparison, from different years. Stanchart's 2026 race is scheduled for 25 October and has yet to take place.
The figures cover the wider events. They are not numbers of people who completed 42.195km. Registration, attendance and recorded finishers are different measures, and published reports do not always distinguish them.
Even with those limits, the figures support Stanchart's advantage in scale. NTV reported in July 2026 that its registration had closed after organisers reached their 30,000-runner target, showing continuing demand ahead of race day.
Nairobi City offers Ksh 3.5 million to each men's and women's full-marathon winner. Stanchart's published 2026 schedule offers Ksh 2 million each.
The difference extends down the standings:
| Full-marathon placing | Stanchart, published 2026 prize | Nairobi City, current published prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ksh 2,000,000 | Ksh 3,500,000 |
| 2nd | Ksh 1,000,000 | Ksh 2,250,000 |
| 3rd | Ksh 500,000 | Ksh 1,500,000 |
| Last paid position | 10th | 20th, receiving Ksh 30,000 |
Amounts apply to each men's and women's placing. Sources: Stanchart prize schedule and Nairobi City marathon prize schedule.
Stanchart's online schedule and runners guide disagree on some lower-place amounts. The comparison above uses its matching podium figures and published number of paid places.
For a competitive runner, the payout at tenth or twentieth matters too. Nairobi City's deeper rewards offer an opportunity to earn when a podium finish is out of reach.
However, the prize history has not been a steady climb. The inaugural winners were advertised a US$60,000 top prize, with contemporary reports giving different shilling equivalents.
In June 2023, Capital FM reported organisers' explanation for reducing the top prize. Barnaba Korir described a reduction from Ksh 6 million to Ksh 3.5 million, saying the intention was to spread rewards down to twentieth place.
That remains the organisers' explanation. Earlier reporting had already advertised prizes to twentieth in 2022, so the reduction alone does not establish when deeper payouts began.
Eldoret's 2026 champions also received Ksh 3.5 million each. Stanchart therefore trails both races on the full-marathon winner's cheque.
The comparison reverses at other distances:
| Winner's prize, per men's or women's category | Stanchart, published 2026 | Nairobi City, current published schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Half marathon | Ksh 300,000 | Ksh 150,000 |
| 10km | Ksh 200,000 | Ksh 100,000 |
Sources: Stanchart, Nairobi City half marathon and Nairobi City 10km.
Calling one race "better paying" without specifying the distance misses this distinction. Nairobi City rewards the full-marathon field more generously; Stanchart offers the larger winning cheque at 21km and 10km.
For most participants, the relevant money flows in the opposite direction: the entry fee.
Stanchart lists Ksh 2,500 for individual physical entries in 2026. Nairobi City's 2026 local and East African fees were Ksh 2,000 for the marathon, Ksh 1,700 for the half marathon, Ksh 1,500 for 10km and Ksh 1,000 for 5km. See the organisers' Stanchart fees and Nairobi City fees.
Both offer the four familiar running distances. Stanchart also has a dedicated wheelchair race and business challenges, detailed in its 2026 runners guide.
The lower Nairobi City fees make a difference, particularly for groups and families. The choice still depends on the course you want, the distance you have prepared for and the date that fits your training.
Stanchart's international links go back well before Nairobi City's launch. World Athletics' 2005 preview described Nairobi as the opening race in the bank's Greatest Race on Earth series, followed by Singapore, Mumbai and Hong Kong. The US$1.57 million prize pool belonged to that four-race team series, rather than Nairobi's individual marathon winners.
Stanchart has a concrete credential behind its international ambitions. The World Athletics 2026 label calendar lists it as a Label race, a classification separate from the Gold, Elite and Platinum tiers.
It also appears among Abbott World Marathon Majors' age-group rankings qualifying races. That connection gives eligible runners another reason to take its full-marathon results seriously.
An age-group qualifying race is different from a member of the Majors series. Neither Nairobi race is a World Marathon Major, as the official member list confirms.
Nairobi City's ambitions are public too. In 2025, Athletics Kenya reported its president's desire to bring the race towards World Marathon Majors standards. That expresses a goal, rather than an awarded status.
Prestige also depends on reliable timing, clear routes, adequate supplies and good organisation. Stanchart's history and credentials give it an advantage, while Nairobi City's Expressway course and full-marathon rewards give it a strong identity of its own.
Stanchart's original Seeing is Believing cause funded eye care. Its 2011 release says the first year's funds supported 60 cataract operations for children under five at Kikuyu Eye Hospital.
The race now raises money for the Standard Chartered Foundation, supporting youth employability and entrepreneurship. The bank's 2025 sustainability report, page 62, reports Ksh 76.3 million raised for the Foundation through that year's marathon.
Nairobi City combines its sporting and tourism ambitions with environmental initiatives. In 2026, The Star documented four air-quality sensors deployed around its route. Monitoring pollution is a practical contribution, though it does not by itself establish carbon neutrality.
Both races have reasons to attract participants beyond elite results. Their impact is best assessed through documented work and outcomes.
Stanchart still has the stronger claim as Nairobi's established mass-participation marathon. Its history, larger reported field and verified international credentials support that position.
Nairobi City has the stronger offer for the full-marathon athlete chasing prize money, with larger rewards and more paid places. For recreational runners, its Expressway setting and lower local entry fees are appealing in their own right.
The calendar leaves room for both. Nairobi City has varied its dates, including a 2024 postponement to September, a July race in 2025 and June in 2026. Stanchart's next edition is set for 25 October 2026.
The next stage for either event depends on how well it handles demand while delivering a race people want to return to. Nairobi already has two substantial marathon events. For runners, that means more choice, and more reason for each organiser to keep improving.
Race information checked on 3 October 2026. Stanchart's 2026 prizes are published offers ahead of the race; Nairobi City figures refer to its completed 2026 edition and current schedules. Participation figures are attributed reported fields, not verified full-marathon finisher totals.
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