Started back in 2000, the Lewa Marathon has grown over the years to become one of the top highlights of the running calendar in Kenya, enjoying popularity with local and International runners alike. This annual running event takes place in June, and comprises a 21km Half Marathon and 42km Full Marathon trail runs that take place at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy at the foothills of Mt Kenya. Participants run alongside wild animals, a unique feature of this run.
The organizers of this race limit registration to 1,000 participants to minimise disturbance to the surrounding wildlife. The Half Marathon is restricted to Corporate teams of 10 runners who follow a single loop course, while the Full Marathon is open to individual runners, and includes looping twice over the Half Marathon course. The course terrain is undulating, with altitudes ranging between 1630 and 1735m above sea level. Total elevation gain on the course is 435m due to the numerous hills and valleys along the trail. Despite these altitudes being similar to Nairobi’s, running in Lewa is much more difficult with most runners recording lower performances here than in Nairobi. Hence its reputation as one of the toughest Marathons in the World
