Three years ago, lawyer Emily Chepkor put out a simple Instagram post inviting anyone in Nairobi to join her for a free Saturday morning run at 8 am, no fuss.
Only three women showed up, jogged a 6km loop, grabbed coffee at a café nearby, and went home.
‘Then the following weekend there were six, then 10 the next. Every time we would post on social media and more would join the following weekend,’ says Emily, an avid runner and a gym regular.
That casual call became ‘We Run Nairobi,’ now one of the city’s most consistent running clubs. On a good day, more than 1,200 runners turn up. On many days, 100 to 300 people take over roads around Nairobi.
We Run Nairobi is part of a wider wave of running clubs reshaping Nairobi’s streets and social life and, Emily says women are driving the movement.
In recent years, that energy has spilled well beyond weekend runs. What started as fitness habits, Emily says has now evolved into a travel lifestyle. Recreational running has stretched beyond city routes into travel plans, and the culture has been quietly growing.
According to recent report by Miles4Mind, salaried Kenyan women quietly setting the pace in this movement. They spend millions in a year conditioning their bodies, and planning their calendars around races, booking flights and hotels months in advance.
The study, based on 250 recreational runners in Nairobi, shows that middle and upper-middle-income earners are most invested, often setting aside dedicated budgets for race travel abroad.
Of the 175 respondents who shared their monthly income, 60 earn between Sh150,000 and Sh300,000. Another 43 take home less than Sh150,000, while 34 fall in the Sh300,000 to Sh500,000 bracket. A further 38 earn between Sh500,000 and Sh1,000,000.
Employment appears to be the engine behind the trend. ‘Recreational runners in employment represented the largest segment at 73 percent, with business owners at 12.8 percent and the self-employed at 10 percent,’ the report notes.
Age also plays a role. The strongest appetite for running and race travel is among those aged 36 to 4, suggesting that the trend is being driven by financially stable, mid-career professionals.
Women slightly outnumber men in the running scene. Of 178 respondents who disclosed their gender, 93 were women and 85 were men.
For many, this journey began during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when running offered both escape and routine. For many recreational runners, the Standard Chartered Marathon in Nairobi was the first step into this lifestyle.
‘Once you’ve conquered the Standard Chartered Marathon in Nairobi, your eyes immediately turn to the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania. It’s almost a rite of passage and a natural next step for ambitious runners,’notes Emily.
‘It isn’t just about the race itself; it’s about the journey. We make it a road trip, sign up with friends, and ‘collect’ an international marathon under our belts. And once you’ve done that, there’s always another adventure in the corner,’ adds Emily, who has participated in 11 marathons, several of those abroad, including the Boston Marathon.
But this lifestyle comes at a cost.
For many runners, a single race abroad costs an average of Sh300,000, when flights, accommodation, registration fees, and travel documents are factored in.
‘The cost depends on the destination, but that is the rough average. Logistics add up quickly, from tickets to hotels and even getting your passport in order,’ says Judy Karambu, a recreational runner based in Nairobi.
To keep up with the trend Judy has turned budgeting into part of her training plan.
‘Every year, I aim to run at least two marathons in Europe and one in South Africa. That means raising at least Sh1 million. Personal savings are my main cushion, and I always recommend putting money in collective investment schemes like money market funds, so it keeps growing as you plan your travel.’
For perspective, for her Sanlam Cape Town marathon slated for May this year, she is working with a Sh350,000 budget.
‘I will be returning to Cape Town once again, and I plan to stay there for 10 days. It’s a very beautiful city, but very expensive,’ Judy says.
Amos Ronoa, who has been a recreational runner for more than five years now and who will be participating in the Chicago Marathon in September, recently tells the BDLife that he plans to spend Sh400,000 for his trip.
‘My minimum budget for Chicago is Sh400,000 to take care of my race entry ticket, which is Sh37,000. Air tickets, I am looking at Sh100,000 for return. A good accommodation, probably at an at a AirBnB, will cost between Sh50,000 and Sh70,000 for three to four days. I will also need some pocket money for transport around the city and meals. I am looking at spending between $10-20$ a day, so that is about Sh14,000 in every five days,’ he notes.
But besides the travel budgets, there is an additional cost when you factor in the training and racing gear expenses.
Limo Kipkemoi, an avid ultra-runner, says a good Garmin GPS smart watch will cost at least Sh 70,000.
‘A good pair of running shoes will cost anything from Sh25,000, depending on the brand, and you will need to have at least two pairs. You also need to invest in the running bibs and jackets,’ Limo says.
The Miles4Mind report shows that the majority of Kenyan recreational runners prefer the Garmin smart watch compared to other brands such as Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, and Coros. Of the 151 respondents who revealed their fitness trackers, 105 own the Garmin series.
‘It’s just not the runners, even trekkers prefer Garmin smartwatches, and that’s primarily because of their superior battery life, GPS accuracy, and detailed analytics like running dynamics, lactate threshold, and all that. They also have built-in maps of the entire world,’ Limo adds.