Caroline Nyaga at a previous event/ HANDOUT

Commonwealth Games 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Leonard Bett and 2022 African 10,000m champion Caroline Nyaga will headline the opening leg of the Athletics Kenya (AK) Cross Country Championships in Machakos today.

The season opener will provide athletes with an opportunity to assess their form, test their endurance and begin preparations for a busy year ahead.

National athletics coach Julius Kirwa said the Machakos meeting would mark the beginning of Kenya’s preparations for the 2027 African Championships, scheduled for August 27 to September 10 in Cairo, Egypt.

“We want to get a strong team to represent Kenya during the African Championships. These cross country races are where we start,” Kirwa said.

He added that the championships would also help athletes targeting the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games prepare for their respective assignments. Kenya will host the World Athletics Championships in 2029.

“We have to plan ourselves because we have the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, then we bring the World Championships home in 2029,” he added.

Kirwa urged athletes from Machakos, Nairobi and neighbouring areas, including Ngong and Kiambu, to turn out in large numbers for the October 24 season opener.

“This is a very good build-up for the coming year. I urge coaches to ensure that the athletes under their management turn up so that they can gauge their form, because we have a very long season ahead,” he said.

The championships will feature senior men’s and women’s 10km races, Under-20 men’s and women’s 6km contests, Under-18 boys’ and girls’ races, and a 2km loop.

Senior race winners will receive Sh50,000, with runners-up earning Sh40,000 and third-place finishers taking home Sh25,000. Prize money will extend to 10th place.

In the Under-20 category, the top three finishers will earn Sh30,000, Sh20,000 and Sh15,000, respectively. Winners in the Under-18 races and 2km loop will receive Sh10,000, while second- and third-place finishers will pocket Sh8,000 and Sh6,000, respectively.

Bett heads into the men’s 10km race after a productive 2026 season. He won bronze in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games in 8:21.63, having earlier finished third at the Kip Keino Classic in April in 8:25.06.

He subsequently clocked 8:18.70 to finish ninth at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting on June 7 before placing third at the National Championships in July. Last month, he competed in the New Balance Mile Road Race, clocking 3:52.2.

Nyaga, meanwhile, will be seeking a strong response after finishing 13th in the women’s 5km road race at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 15:17.

She faces a stern challenge from Rebecca Mwangi in the senior women’s race.

In the women’s Under-20 6km contest, 2025 African Under-18 3,000m champion Cynthia Chepkurui will be one to watch, while African Under-18 100m champion Clinton Aluvi headlines the 2km loop.