Isaac Macharia is probably one of those Kenyan athletes whose names don't ring a bell.
Despite winning several marathons including Nagano Marathon of Japan three times, Yellow River Marathon of China, 1st Runners up in the Dubai Marathon (UAE), Shanghai Marathon, and coming in the top 10 in New York, Chicago, Berlin and Vienna Marathons, his name doesn't resonate with many Kenyans.
However, this is just how he likes it, with the retired athlete one of the country's most generous philanthropists, spending at least Ksh3 million on salaries alone at his school (Kenswed School) and recently, the Kenswed Hospital.
The facilities are located in Ngong on a land he bought with the first prize money he ever won.
“The benefit though is a million times more, looking back at the many people that have benefited through these projects. The trickling effect runs very deep," Macharia revealed during a past interview.
His personal story is that of a young boy who was determined to pull himself out of a childhood characterised by poverty in the outskirts of Nyahururu.
For him, an athletics career was quite literaly running away from poverty.
At some point in his career, he used to run from Uthiru, bathe at Nairobi River, then switch to formal attire before attending class at Kenyan Power College in Ruaraka almost two decades ago.
He has always had a deep appreciation for education, and can boast of being one of the few athletes with both a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting and Finance) from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and a Masters of Science in Entrepreneurship from the University of Nairobi.
His innate appreciation for the power of education could explain his decision to set up Kenswed School where 300 underprivileged students get to study for free.
Macharia is also an entrepreneur with interests in clean energy and technology. He is the director of a solar power company, Miale Solar (co-founded with Swedish partners) and a software company, Smart People Africa (SPA) co-founded with one of his close friends, Stephen Ndirangu, which provides software solutions.
Despite the various demands of his vast business empire, the retired athlete's main focus has always been on his philanthropic side, once revealing that the success of his students offers him a reward that no amount of money in world could match.
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Macharia's school extended its e-Learning platform to the underprivileged in marginalised communities for free.
In his heydays, Macharia won the Bogota Half Marathon in Colombia four times, was a Course Record holder at Wilmslow Half Marathon in UK, came as 1st runners up in New Delhi India, Salzburg Half in Austria among others.
He is a father of two and married to former World Cross Country junior champion Veronica Nyaruai.
