The ooooohs and aaaaahs flowing from the mouths of runners this Saturday were enough to make the hills alive with the sound of pleasure (and a small dose of good pain). The hills were sublime, the weather was perfect, the breakfast was copious and tasty, the distances were generous (hands up who got a bonus on their distance)! Our Trail Queen and Trail Fox outdid themselves, and I’m happy to say that it is those same caterers that will be keeping our bellies full for Naivasha Relay (which reminds me, you need to register by Wednesday to be in one of the Swara teams for the relay or you will literally miss the bus: https://forms.gle/1BRvMLQzT4o3oWUh8). Check out the photos from Saturday’s run, and relive some of the best views and moments. Also a big congratulations to our very own Swara elite runner, Dennis Lopua, who was pacing some of the world’s top runners at the Vienna City Marathon. He is heading back to Kenya as we speak so we will be seeing him soon at Run2Gether for our annual run there! See the Starting Line for some photo higlights: https://sway.office.com/7PWkpMhOOOEMeoKk?ref=LinkThis coming Saturday we are heading to Bavaria Gardens, in Westlands, for some tarmac pounding and urban hills. Masks MUST be worn at all times when not running, and COVID protocols observed. See Starting Line for full details: https://sway.office.com/7PWkpMhOOOEMeoKk?ref=LinkNaivasha Relay 2021 registrationNaivasha Relay registration is now open, so we are inviting all Swaras who want to be a part of one of the Swara teams for this event to register. See the poster below. In short, it’s a 9-person relay comprising of 89km, on Saturday 2nd October, with each runner running an average of two stages of less than 10km each over the whole of Saturday . The fun is that all teams run together, so each leg is flagged off at the same time, and the teams go ahead of the runners by vehicle to cheer them on at each finish line. This is an event with a legendary legacy; the Nairobi Hash House Harriers have been hosting this run since 1982! Please be aware that there is a 2,500ksh registration fee payable to the organisers, and a Swara fee to cover food, logistics and transport. The total fee, excluding accommodation In Naivasha on the Saturday night, will be between 5,000ksh and 6,000ksh (to be confirmed), though we are doing everything possible to keep costs down, including a subsidy from the club. To sign up to be in one of the Swara teams, fill in this form by this Wednesday 15th September – that’s only 2 days away!!! : https://forms.gle/1BRvMLQzT4o3oWUh8Nairobi Standard Chartered Marathon2021In other news, we’re also taking Swara applications to the in-person Nairobi Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon, which this year is limited to only 2,500 runners on Sunday 31st October. A number of spaces have been committed to the running clubs, and your Swara officials and CRE have been busy preparing everything to get as many Swaras participating as possible!The qualification times for the in-person run are as follows:Full marathonMen – 4:00 Women: 4:30Half MarathonMen – 2:00 Women – 2:15Wheelchair RaceMen – 3:00 Women – 3:1510kmMen – 0:57 Women – 1:04There will also be a virtual run open to everyone:If you want to take part in the in-person run, you will need to submit a qualifying run within the times detailed above. Fill in this form (https://forms.gle/gjgYWKX65e1CkDGb9) by the 1st October, to be in with a chance of running the 31st October marathon. NEW ROUTE ALERT —> with the ongoing roadworks on the 7th circle of hell aka Mombasa Road, the run will take part along Southern Bypass, starting from Carnivore, Langata, with some gentle downhill for the first 10km, and then around 20km of gradual climb before finishing on some more gentle downhill. The 21km will follow a similar pattern of down-up-down. Start training now and submit your run to qualify for the in-person! More information on the virtual run registration to come. Registration link: https://forms.gle/gjgYWKX65e1CkDGb9