It’s all systems go as the fourth edition of Nairobi City Marathon (NCM) gets underway in the Kenyan capital this morning.

Over 16,000 participants from 75 countries will be out to hunt for glory in various categories that the race, set to start and finish at Uhuru Park, is offering.

In the men’s 42km showdown, USA-based world beater Edward Cheserek and two-time Paris Marathon champion Paul Lonyangata will be out to dislodge defending champion Eliud Magut from the crown.

Likewise, Sandrafelis Chebet and Philomena Cheyech are baying for the blood of Cynthia Jerotich Limo, who will be seeking to defend the women’s title.

Race Director Barnaba Korir is happy with the preparations that have been put in place to make this year’s edition bigger and better.

“Everything is all set. All categories are full. We are ready to deliver a spectacular showpiece to remember,” Korir told Standard Sports.

“We have put together all the experiences gained in the last three editions to make this year’s race bigger and better. Our focus is to make this race equivalent to the World Marathon Majors especially the New York and the London marathons. We are aiming to have 30,000 participants in the near future.”

Korir said plans are underway to reintroduce the wheelchair category when the race returns to Nyayo Stadium next year.

As has been the tradition, winners of today’s showpiece, to be contested under the theme ‘Nairobi, The City We Love’ will walk home Sh3.5 million richer in both categories.

This year’s event will offer a prize pool of over Sh24 million in all the categories.

The first race, which will be the 21km, will begin at 8.15am, followed by the 42km 30 minutes later.

Among the over 16,000 registered runners, Kenya has the lion’s share of 13000 participants, China 375, India 103, Britain 86, Uganda 46, Ethiopia 41, Japan 40, among others.

Race Technical Director Ibrahim Hussein has assured that the course has been World Athletics certified, meaning any record broken on Sunday will be duly recognised by the global athletics body.

“The route has been designed to showcase the city of Nairobi as the participants cruise through the course that will snake from Uhuru Park to Museum Hill, Nairobi Expressway, James Gichuru Road, JKIA, Haile Selassie, and back to the finish point at Uhuru Park ” Hussein highlighted.

National Police Service Representative Caroline Jerop has urged Kenyans to plan their travelling accordingly, as Mombasa Road, the Nairobi Expressway and other feeder routes will be out of bounds for travellers.

“Security will be tight at the race, Kenyans should not be afraid ti attend the marathon,” Jerop assured.

Athletics Kenya (AK) president Lt Gen (Rtd) Jack Tuwei exalted the increasing significance of the annual competition.

Tuwei stated the competition supports the importance of sustainability through collaboration with a number of institutions, including United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Roam, and Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF).

“Let’s make it more peaceful and make it green. We show this love through sustainability. I want to make a special appeal to all Nairobians to turn up in numbers and cheer other runners,” the president said.

“Like in previous editions of the marathon, SEI Africa is supporting Athletics Kenya in installing air quality sensors to monitor the quality of air around the marathon course and ensure the event meets the environmental standards and climate change goals provided for in the World Athletics Sustainability Strategy and the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework, respectively,” Anderson Kehbila, Programme Leader for Energy and Climate Change at SEI Africa, stated.