Chairman: Anthony Kiai

The motto behind Urban Swaras: Running is Living.

Founded in 2009, Urban Swaras Running Club has over 1000 members, around 300 of which are active. Of course, member commitment depends on the season. January is usually the most popular month presumably because of New Year Resolutions.

Urban Swaras Running Club is a recreational run club based in Nairobi, Kenya. Running for enjoyment, rather than for money, used to be a novelty experience in Nairobi. Today, more and more recreational clubs are forming.

What is Urban Swaras?

Urban Swaras (US) was the first club in Kenya to have a set of rules and regulations. These regulations determine how the Officials and committee are elected, and how members inter relate with each other.

The Calendar Committee forms the events calendar. The club has a run every Saturday with three runs being done in Nairobi and one happening out of Nairobi. This enhances local tourism through sports. To pick a hosting station we take into consideration that:

• the post-run cafe spot is affordable;
• showers are accessible;
• parking is available and secure.

The club is open to everyone who is willing to pay their annual fee. Non-members simply pay a visitors’ fee and turn up to join one of the Saturday morning runs. Members are based in and near Nairobi.

The ethos of the group stands by the mentality that: “it doesn’t matter where you come from, what you do, we are all bonded by the shared passion for running.”

Anthony, the Chair of US (at the time of writing), has been a member of the club for over 13 years. He faced serious health challenges during COVID and puts his recovery down to his active, running lifestyle. He credits running for its power to connect him with people from different circumstances and from all over the world.

This sense of international connection is why US has existed for so long. Members travel to participate in Marathon Majors like Sydney, London, New York, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo and Berlin marathons. We also take part in other Marathons in all corners of the globe.

Anthony has seen many success stories of people who have become infatuated with running throughout their time at the club. One member joined at the beginning of their running journey, happy to complete 100m, and is now running 90km.

The club has a monthly structure with additional novelty runs to keep the annual calendar exciting. Three runs a month are based within Nairobi, and one run a month is based outside the city, usually on the periphery. For example, on 24th January, they are hosting a trail run in Tigoni in Limuru, a lush of tea greenery and rolling terrain that looks surreal.

All routes for the runs are marked with chalk with the letters “US” to direct participants. Usually, there are route options of up to 30km.
They also host themed runs. In the past, these have included costume runs, themed runs, and networking runs.

Costume runs are usually no more than 15km, due to the attire that turns out. Past participants have dressed as Jesus carrying a cross, or arrived in a suit, shoes, and tie. The outfits get quite inventive and impractical!

Charity runs happen twice a year, raising money for Run2gether, an organisation in Longonot (north of Nairobi). Run2gether aims to improve opportunities for young people from challenging backgrounds. The club donates running outfits and gym equipment to support the young people’s participation in sport.

The club also supports Sahihi, an organisation for vulnerable children. In the last year, they have managed to raise over 150,000 KSH to support the foundation.

One of the annual highlights is the Mountain to Mountain Ultra-Marathon. This is an 80km run from the Aberdares to Mount Kenya every September, which the club takes part in every year.

US has many affiliates across the country. Affiliates are formed by previous members who have gone on to create their own series. One of these is the Intercity affiliate. US comes out in full force for the main Intercity event: an annual ultra marathon of 88km from Nairobi to Naivasha.

Another advantage of these affiliates is their widespread presence across the country. Wherever in the country a US member finds themselves, they can quickly join an affiliate group and get running.

Another affiliate group is dedicated to hiking adventures. Since 2025, the team comes together to celebrate Joshua, a prolific hiker who rested atop Mt Everest while attempting to conquer it without supplemental oxygen. Joshua was a former US member and very experienced mountaineer.