Photo Caption:Kenyan running enthusiast Joram Mwangi (right) during his 2026 Nordic running campaign in Europe.
Kenyan running enthusiast Joram Mwangi is turning his passion for long-distance running into an international journey, taking on road races across the Nordic region as he pursues a personal ambition to experience the sport beyond East Africa.
For Mwangi, running has developed from a form of physical exercise into an important part of his identity, inspired by Kenya’s long tradition of producing world-class distance runners.
Growing up hearing stories of Kenyan endurance athletes, he developed an ambition to carry the spirit of the country’s running culture to international courses.
Mwangi is also involved in the Rurii Marathon, which recently concluded its second season in Bahati Constituency with a 10-kilometre race promoting mental health awareness and wellness. The event attracted residents from across the constituency and featured prizes worth more than KSh500,000.
In 2026, that ambition took him to Europe, where he embarked on a Nordic running campaign that included races in Finland and Sweden, testing his endurance on some of the region’s prominent city courses.
His campaign reached a notable milestone in Finland during the Björn Borg Helsinki Marathon 2026, where he joined thousands of runners from different countries in a race through the Finnish capital.
The route offered participants an opportunity to experience Helsinki’s distinctive cityscape, passing landmarks including the Helsinki Cathedral, the harbour front and other historic areas of the coastal capital.
Mwangi completed the race and received a blue finisher’s medal featuring landmarks associated with Helsinki, adding another international race achievement to his growing collection.
He then continued his campaign in Sweden, taking part in the Stockholm Half Marathon 2026, where he competed over the 21.0975-kilometre distance.
Running under race bib number 22601 in Start Group D, Mwangi joined other competitors for the 16:10 start before navigating Stockholm’s streets, bridges and historic areas.
The race presented another test of concentration, stamina and consistency as he worked through the distance before crossing the finish line to earn a silver 21.0975K finisher’s medal.
The two races have given Mwangi tangible reminders of his 2026 Nordic campaign, with the medals and race bibs representing the training, early morning runs and preparation that went into completing the events.
Beyond the medals, the experience has also provided Mwangi with an opportunity to carry his Kenyan running heritage onto international courses and connect with runners from different parts of the world.
His Nordic races are, however, not viewed as the conclusion of his running journey. Instead, they form part of a broader ambition to keep exploring new routes, competing in different environments and maintaining running as a daily pursuit.
For Mwangi, each race represents another step in that journey, with the experience in Finland and Sweden providing a foundation for more international challenges as he continues chasing new horizons, one stride at a time.
