On the eighth of October 2026 Nairobi played host to the Open Lanes Varsity Invitational finals where The Hotrods Quartet from the University of Nairobi secured victory with a total of thirty points. The winning squad earned ten points per race and claimed the prestigious fully paid trip to South Africa for a race experience. In a close contest fellow UoN team Untamed finished second on twenty‑eight points while Kenyatta University's Endzone took third place with twenty‑two points.
The team captain described the win as surreal and expressed pride in the strategy and teamwork that drove each race. “We are proud of ourselves, our strategy, and our teamwork,” he said. “Every race pushed us differently, and we had to rely on each other to make the right decisions as a team. This is an experience we will definitely never forget.” Meanwhile Navalayo Osembo, Director of Africa at On, highlighted the Open Lanes concept’s goal to give ordinary students a chance to compete and enjoy athletics.
Competitors arrived from Kenyatta University, CUEA, JKUAT, Riara University, Strathmore University and The University of Nairobi to join the campus qualifiers that led to the knockout rounds and finally the Grand Finale. The competition featured specially designed races including steeplechase and relay to accommodate ordinary students, testing speed, endurance, and coordination. The Hotrods Quartet now carries the momentum of the Open Lanes victory forward, with the South Africa race experience waiting at the finish line.