Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon connects runners, teams and stories

Connectivity is what keeps the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon running throughout an entire city. Working with NTT DATA, the event links runners, activations, media and race operations in real time. From live coverage to the moment results are shared along the route, everything works as one connected system.

10+ years of partnership with NTT DATA

Since its launch in 2003, the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon has grown into one of the most anticipated events in Kenya’s sporting calendar. It’s also the biggest single-day sporting event in the country.

“We started from 500 participants to over 30,000 runners last year,” says David Lawrence, Project Manager for the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. “It’s become one of the premier events in October.”

With several race categories to choose from, the marathon welcomes everyone from elite athletes to families and first-time runners. “Whether you’re a beginner, a pro or just wanting to have fun, you’ll find a category for your level of fitness,” says Lawrence. "From the start we offered a category for wheelchair athletes, and this year we expanded that to accommodate people with other disabilities."

As the event has grown, the sense of fun and inclusivity has been matched by the standards of a world-class race. The Nairobi Marathon is accredited by World Athletics and is a qualifier event for the Abbott World Marathon Majors.

“We adhere to the highest standards of any mass-participation event,” Lawrence explains. “Our professionalism in organizing the race has been recognized by World Athletics, and we now have the status of an international marathon.”

Maintaining those high standards means everything on must work together on the day, from the music and activations on the route to the support runners rely on. Race organizers, partners and teams on the ground must share information and coordinate activities to keep runners motivated, informed and safe.

To create an incredible experience for tens of thousands of participants across the city, every part of the race must be connected, there and then. “We need internet to upload results in real time,” explains Lawrence. Sharing experiences digitally is a big part of the event, bandwidth is needed for runners and supporters to upload their photos and videos on social media.”

Connecting the race from registration to finish line

The Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon has worked with NTT DATA as its connectivity partner for more than 10 years. The event now has seven race categories: the full marathon, half marathon, wheelchair race, road race, family fun run, CEO challenge and corporate challenge.

The network supports the event from before the start to after the finish. Preparation typically starts five to six months before the race, and the plan needs to be tweaked every year. We begin with stakeholder engagement and meetings, route assessments and technical surveys of every critical point. This includes testing equipment and signal strength, running simulations and building contingency plans to account for potential failures on the day.

Planning must also account for terrain changes, surges in the demand for data, and areas with limited infrastructure. Demand can shift quickly as crowds move along the route, placing sudden pressure on different parts of the network.

The connectivity solution is used for registration systems, web platforms and race-day operations. It combines fixed, mobile and temporary infrastructure, such as cabling and wireless access points.

Through our partnership with Starlink, we can build a resilient distributed network that adapts to the city’s layout and fluctuating network demand, allowing us to extend coverage across long distances. Backup capacity is built into every critical link, so if one connection fails, network traffic can be rerouted without disrupting the race.

Secure connectivity and dedicated communication channels support race officials, emergency teams and event staff throughout the race, while a high-level NTT DATA command team monitors the network. If an issue arises, the team can reroute traffic or switch to backup systems immediately. NTT DATA teams are onsite maintaining network performance, with standby equipment and power backups positioned along the route to support rapid response if needed.

Even at peak demand — when thousands of devices are connected — the network is designed to remain stable and responsive.

Supporting thousands of devices in a “digital city”

For one day, the Nairobi Marathon operates like a temporary digital city, with tens of thousands of people, devices and systems all relying on it at once. When that city runs smoothly, event management becomes easier and people can enjoy a truly world-class marathon experience.

Coordinating operations from start to finish

 A flexible, reliable network connects race organizers, partners and medical teams, helping maintain the high standards of the marathon and making it enjoyable for everyone who takes part.

Enabling real-time sharing and live coverage

High-bandwidth connectivity enables the media to live stream the event, while runners and supporters can share their experiences with a large online community.

Building a more connected race each year

Working with NTT DATA, the event has progressed from manual processes to a fully digital experience, supporting operations and improving engagement.

“With a long-term partnership, you’re able to learn from your experiences, innovate together, and improve on the service that you deliver and the experience that you give to the runners,” says Lawrence.

Expanding the connected race experience

With a strong digital foundation, the Nairobi Marathon is continuing to explore new ways to improve the race.

“We are looking at things like live streaming and creating hotspots along the route so participants can share their experiences in a different way,” says Lawrence. “We are also exploring AI-enabled phototagging, so runners can easily find and download their race moments.”

As participation continues to grow, these innovations will help the marathon build on its connected experience — giving runners more ways to engage, share and be part of the event, both on and off race routes.