Nairobi City Marathon: course, Expressway route and 2027 date

Nairobi City Marathon 2027: date, venue, entry

Date: the race is usually held in June; the 2026 edition was on Sunday 7 June. The 2027 date has not yet been announced on the official website.

Venue: in 2026 the marathon started at City Hall and finished at Uhuru Park. The 2027 start and finish have not been confirmed yet.

Races on the day: in 2026 there was a full marathon (42 km), a half marathon (21 km), a 10 km Expressway Run and a 5 km Fun Run.

Entry fees and registration dates: not yet published for 2027. In 2026 entries were taken through separate international and local/East African registration pages on the official site.

Race pack: not yet published for 2027. In 2026 participants received giveaways, finishers received a medal, and entrants got a running T-shirt while stocks lasted.

Official website: www.nairobicitymarathon.com

Checked on 8 November 2026 against the official race website; confirm details there before you enter.

The course

The marathon starts on City Hall Way in the centre of Nairobi and makes a short loop of the CBD. It then heads up Uhuru Highway and University Way past Museum Hill and out west on Waiyaki Way to a turnaround near James Gichuru Road, at about 10 km.

From there the Nairobi Expressway carries runners back past the city centre and south-east along Mombasa Road to a second turnaround near JKIA, at about 29.5 km. The last part comes back north-west on the Expressway to the finish at Uhuru Park, about 700 m from the start.

On our map the course covers about 42.4 km with roughly 229 m of climbing.

What the race is known for

All the race distances use the Nairobi Expressway, so runners get a rare chance to run on the elevated road, with the city centre on one side and Nairobi National Park on the other. The course has less climbing than the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, which has about 402 m on our map.

Running it

A few things help on the day:

• Start slower than your usual pace: Nairobi sits at about 1,700 to 1,800 m, and runners from the coast or abroad feel the thinner air.
• The Expressway is open and exposed, so wear sun protection and drink at every water station.
• The start and finish are close together in the city centre, which makes meeting family after the race simple.

Frame your race

We print the Nairobi City Marathon as a framed 3D map: the city's terrain in relief, the route raised in colour, and your name, date, finish time and pace on the card under the glass. Pick 42K, 21K, 10K or 5K, or upload your own GPX and we print your exact line.