Runners from Naivasha and Europe vie in virtual race

Long distance runner Julius Kariba kept glancing at his watch as he took part in the first ever virtual race sponsored by Run2gether founder and manager Thomas Krejci.

For him, it was race against time — literally — as he tackled a 10km slippery terrain around Longonot area in Naivasha.

Posting the best time meant winning the top prize money of Sh10,000. With his eyes on the prize, the runner battled hard in the inaugural race, stopping the clock at 30:49.04.

With sweat dropping from his face Kariba paused, satisfied with his performance.

“With no runners to complete with, it was a bit tricky to keep up with your own pace. It was the first time to complete is such a race,” said Kariba.

He is currently in a fine form and it showed. Another runner who participated in the virtual race was 23-year-old Fridah Gachiengo.

“Pacing yourself is not easy. It is just you and the clock,” she said.

The determined runner stopped the GPS enabled watch at 37:59.00 and immediately relayed the results to her manager, keeping her fingers closed.

The winner will walk home with Sh10,000, runners-up Sh7,500 with those settling for the third spot pocketing Sh5,000.

The camp manager Geoffrey Gikuni said 11 runners from Longonot took part in the race.

“The response from the runners was good and we look forward to a stiff competition from runners going forward,” he stated.

Krejci promised to avail results from European competitors who participated in the virtual race before announcing the winner.

“We shall also review the prize money in the coming days, with runners already showing enthusiasm,” said Krejci.

The next virtual race will be held in two weeks time.