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Tag: Lagos City Marathon

  • Access Bank Lagos City Marathon’s organisers pay tribute to Wigwe

    Access Bank Lagos City Marathon’s organisers pay tribute to Wigwe

    One year after his demise, organisers of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon have paid tribute to the former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, describing him as a motivator, excellent manager and pillar of road race in Nigeria.

      Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba and son, Chizyi lost their lives in a helicopter crash in California, United States, last year. The news of his death broke when athletes and officials were still in celebration mood at the Eko Atlantic City finish point for  the 2024 edition of the Lagos City Marathon.

      Organisers of the annual marathon event, Nilayo Sports Management, said yesterday that Wigwe played a key role by buying into the concept of the marathon 10 years ago.

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      Former Chief Executive Officer of Nilayo Sports and  now Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, said: “We will forever remain grateful to Wigwe for the legacy role he played in the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. I won’t forget his morale support and motivation for the athletes and all those involved in the organisation of the marathon. Without the excellent role Wigwe played in the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, I doubt if I will be where I am today. We give God the glory that Wigwe left behind an amazing daughter, who is carrying on from where her father stopped.

      “The 10th  edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will hold this Saturday, February 15, and the organisers have designed a special package to celebrate Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba and son, Chizyi. Through the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Wigwe played a vital role by contributing to youth empowerment, among others. 

       “His legacy will continue to challenge us to put in more efforts in ensuring the great job he started through the marathon race gets better. The dedicated management staffs he left behind at Access Holdings are striving to ensure the marathon gets bigger and better,” Olopade stated.

  • BREAKING: Kenya’s Bernard Sang wins Lagos City Marathon 2024

    BREAKING: Kenya’s Bernard Sang wins Lagos City Marathon 2024

    Kenyan’s Bernard Sang has emerged winner of the Access Bank 2024 Lagos City Marathon.

    Sang beat about 80 other elite marathoners in the 9th edition of the race on Saturday morning to win the 42km race.

    He won the grand prize of $50,000.

    The Kenyan finished at 2 hours, 16 minutes, and 49 seconds to best compatriots Simon Cheprot and Edwin Kiptoo, who finished second and third, respectively and will go home with $40,000 and $30,000 respectively.

    Read Also: Lagos announces traffic diversion for city marathon

    Sang, who also participated in 2023, finished in third place.

    Twenty-five-year-old Kebene Chala of Ethiopia was the first woman to cross the finish line.

    She will also be claiming $50,000.

    The winners of the men’s and women’s races qualified for the marathon event at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

    Shehu Muazu was the first Nigerian to cross the finish line and will be going home with a N1 million cash prize.

    The 42km race began at the National Stadium in Surulere and ended at the Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island.

  • I’m not retiring soon, says distance runner Pam

    As Deborah Pam, a renowned distance runner gets set to tie nuptial knots, she says she would give other distance runners the chance to win in 2020.

    Pam who placed sixth in the international category of the 2019 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, however, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that getting married does not mean she was retiring.

    “I am not thinking of leaving marathon anytime soon but I am thinking of proceeding in life.

    “I want to proceed by getting married soon and attending international competitions,” she said.

    Pam said that if her colleagues did not meet up to standard and cope while she was away, she would come back to reclaim the title.

    “I will give other athletes the chance to win when I get married, like the 2020 Lagos marathon, I will give them the chance to win.

    “But, if they cannot meet up and cope, I will come back for it,” she said.

    The athlete who is betrothed to Emmanuel Gyang, also a distance runner, said that she was grateful that her betrothed was also her coach.

    “I am happy with my performance at the 2019 Lagos City marathon, I followed my coach’s procedure. He has been training me and encouraging me at the same time.

    “I am truly grateful to have him as a coach and fiancé,” Pam said.

    NAN reports that Pam was the first Nigerian female to cross the finish line at the 2019 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon with a time of 2:52:58 seconds. (NAN)

  • Access Bank Lagos City Marathon unveils RevolutionPlus

    Organisers of the Lagos City Marathon, Nilayo Sports have unveiled another sponsor for the annual event.

    It’s RevolutionPlus.

    The deal, which was signed yesterday at the headquarters of RevolutionPlus Property Development Company, is worth N500 million for five years.

    Managing Director of RevolutionPlus Bamidele Onalaja said his company was happy to identify with one of the best one-day event in Africa.

    He stated that the company would have been involved in the third edition of the marathon, which took place in February, but the deal could not be concluded before the race.

    Onalaja said  the sponsorship  forms part of his company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), while noting that sports promotes good health, which is in line with his company’s policy of promoting sound health at the work place. He also said the race would give RevolutionPlus the needed publicity to reach out to its client.

    “We are happy to be part of this yearly event. I thank the organisers for agreeing to bring us in and I can assure everyone including the runners that the next edition will be colourful,” Onalaja, who described himself as a lover of football and athletics, added

    Executive Director Tolulope Onalaja, who was instrumental to the deal, said she was convinced about the viability of sponsoring the marathon after watching the last edition from close quarters.

    She said the excellent organisation of the race, which also saw disabled athletes participating, persuaded her to convince the company to sign the agreement with the organisers.

    Chief Executive officer of Nilayo Sports, Bukola Olopade said the partnership has  enhanced the status of the marathon. He praised  RevolutionPlus for backing the event.  Olopade also said the next edition would be better than previous one.

    General Manager of the race, Yusuf Ali said bringing in high level athletes have made the marathon the best one-day sport event in Africa. He also expressed hope that the sponsorship would grow as the event.

  • Register for Lagos City Marathon, Sound Sultan urges

    Register for Lagos City Marathon, Sound Sultan urges

    Sound Sultan, an ambassador of the Lagos City Marathon scheduled to hold on February 10, 2018, has urged everyone to go and register for the race.

    He said this as the General Manager for the Lagos City Marathon, Yusuf Alli, disclosed that over 100 top runners from various part of the world are expected to compete for honours in Lagos.

    “Across the world, we should have a minimum of 100 top-class runners even though we originally penciled down 84,” he said.

    Alli revealed that entries for the 2018 Lagos City Marathon from both home and abroad has been overwhelming especially in the newly-introduced 10km Family Race.

    Alli however said that it is not a free for all as only the best and those capable of adding value will be officially invited. “We have raised our game and we are only bringing the best from all over the world, the first criteria we have set is that any athlete that would be invited or given any form of appearance fee should be doing below 2:10mins.”

    Alli also expressed optimism that Nigerian athletes should be able to give their counterparts from across the world a run for their money especially with the improved incentives by the organisers.

    “I am aware our home groom athletes have been training well, we expect them to improve on what that they did in the first two editions,” Alli said.

    “As for the organisers, we have increased their prize monies, so we hope that will spur them to better performance.”

     

  • 2017 Okpekpe Race: Olamide hopes for better outing

    Oluwaseun Olamide, who came second in the Nigerian category at the 4th Okpekpe International 10km Road Race, says she will better her performance to win the female category prize in the competition.

    Olamide told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos that her target was to be among the first eight athletes in the international category.

    “My coming to Okpekpe this year is to be among the first eight in the international category. I also have the objective of upping my performance in other events I will attend this year.

    “I was among the first 10 in the international category last year and second Nigerian; so, I intend to improve on that record this time,’’ she said.

    Olamide is a gold medalist at the 2016 Ibadan/Splash FM Integrity marathon, and also, a gold medalist in the Nigerian category, 2016 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.

    The only International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) approved Road Race in Africa is scheduled for May 13 in Edo.

    Athletes for the event are being expected from Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, Bahrain, Germany, Turkey, Morocco, Burundi and host, Nigeria.

    NAN reports that technological innovations such as mobile application, line-tracking and transponders have been introduced into this year’s competition.

     

  • The Lagos City Marathon

    The Lagos City Marathon

    • Lagos must build upon the success of the 2017 edition

    The success of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon 2017 provides the government and citizens of Lagos State a priceless opportunity to enhance their long-standing megacity aspirations.
    Characterised by near-flawless logistics, planning and organisation, the Lagos City Marathon was everything a full marathon should be. Over the distance of 42.5 kilometres, the ‘Centre of Excellence’ was shown to a watching world at its very best: clean streets, impressive architecture, enthusiastic crowds, and supreme feats of athleticism.
    Apart from the elite athletes at the very top of their game, the marathon took into account the abilities of a wide variety of participants, including the physically-challenged, children and celebrities. Nigeria’s cultural and musical talents were on display, as well as the vibrancy and commitment of its people.
    Both the Lagos State government and Access Bank Plc are deserving of commendation for establishing the Lagos City Marathon. Unlike soccer, the marathon is not especially popular sporting event in Nigeria. Given its nature as an outdoor event with the streets as its arena, the amount of planning and funding required would have posed a formidable challenge in an era of scarce resources.
    Lagos has thus joined major cities of the world like London, New York, Boston, Chicago and Dubai in having an athletic event which is symbolic of its inherent dynamism, cosmopolitanism and global standing. It is essential that no effort is spared to enable the city, Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole to enjoy these benefits.
    One way of doing this is to ensure that the Lagos City Marathon serves as a platform for the ongoing revival of sporting activity in Lagos State. As the state government continues with its efforts to integrate sports into economic growth, social welfare, community development and the adoption of healthy lifestyles, it should identify ways in which the marathon can help in the achievement of these objectives.
    In this regard, one of the more important long-term goals should be that of improving Nigerian participation in the event. Although Kenya and Ethiopia are globally dominant in long-distance athletics, there is no reason why local athletes should not be in a position to literally give them a run for their money.
    The country’s Middle Belt boasts a terrain similar to that common to East Africa, and indigenes of the area have demonstrated prowess at long-distance running. Working with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, organisers of the Lagos City Marathon should set up a development programme which could turn potential into victory.
    In addition, more can be done to tap into the tourism potentials offered by the Lagos City Marathon. As the competition becomes a fixture on the global marathon calendar, it should be possible to build comprehensive tourism packages around it, involving a series of cultural, sporting and musical events. This would require the cooperation of the state’s hotels, travel agencies and tourism destinations, and would help to make the state better-known as a tourist destination.
    The multiplier effects of such a strategy would be enormous. With its miles of unspoilt beaches, its fascinating inhabitants, its vibrant cosmopolitanism, its markets and malls, as well as its status as the gateway to the rest of Nigeria, Lagos could become Africa’s tourism hub.
    If these aims are to be achieved, they will require consistency, dedication and a continuing commitment to excellence. This means that future editions of the Lagos City Marathon must seek to attain ever-higher standards of quality so that it can take its rightful place among the major items on the national sporting calendar and become one of the top 10 marathons in the world.

  • Kiptum defends title , Kenyans sweep medals

    Kiptum defends title , Kenyans sweep medals

    It was a clean sweep for the Kenyans at the Lagos City Marathon as they won all the medals in the men’s and women’s events.

    Defending champions, Abraham Kiptum, came first in the men’s category, with a time of two  hours, 15 minutes 20 seconds and breasted the tape first for the second successive time  after  he won the inaugural edition of the race in 2017 and will take home the $50,000 cash prize.

    His compatriot, Ronny Kipkoech Kibosswas  five seconds behind the champion while another Kenyan  Kiprotich Kiroitook two  hours, 15 minutes and 28 seconds to come third in the 42.1km. Kiboss and Kiroi won $40,000 and $30,000 respectively.

    In the women’s category, Kenyan athlete, Tanui Rodah Jepkorir emerged as the winner, in two  hours, 37 minutes, 50 seconds and Fridah Lodepa came second with a time of 2 hours, 38 minutes, 21 seconds, leaving Alice Timbilil to complete the top three in 2 hours 39 minutes and 02 seconds.

    It took Illya Pam Nwanta two  hours, 31 minutes, 23 second to emerge as the first Nigerian to cross the line and he will be going home with N1million. He was the second Nigerian to finish Lagos Marathon 2016. Ironically the person that pipped him to the title in 2016, Phillibus Sharubutu came second with a time of 2 hours, 37 minutes 57 seconds while Ibrahim Abdullahi completed the top three Nigeria. All three were representing Nassarawa State.

    Youngster Fadekemi Olude from Ogun state was the first female runner from Nigeria to cross the line while Hannah Babalola, an African Record Holder for the 100m and 200m T54 Wheelchair Racing Category came first in the special athletes women’s race. Sefiu Ojaleye won the men’s category.

    Seven year old Damilola Oluwaseyi was the youngest person to complete the 10 km race category and received with a thunderous applause as  many were surprised that at her young age,  she could challenge herself and finished the race.

  • Countdown to Access Bank Lagos City Marathon

    Countdown to Access Bank Lagos City Marathon

    Kiptum vows to retain title under 2.10:00
     
    The surprise winner of the 2016 edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Kenya’s Abraham Kiptum, has vowed not only to retain the title he won last year but promised to run a sub 2.10:00.
    Compatriot Peter Kiplagat was favoured by athletics buffs to win the first international marathon in Nigeria in 31 years but Kiptum surprised bookmakers when he won in 2.16: 21.
    Said Kiptum in a statement made available by the Communications and Media Department of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon,
    “I want to retain my title and run a sub 2.10:00 on February 11, 2017. I came to Lagos as an underdog, nobody gave a chance, and people were expecting Kiplaglat to win, so I ran without any pressure. I know I will be the center of attraction on February 11, but am mentally and physically prepare for the challenge, I know am in good shape to win and do it under 2.100.’’
    Kiptum also praised the Lagos crowd and the weather, “for a city that does not have a marathon culture like we do in East Africa, I was shocked at the people’s enthusiasm and support for the runners. They cheered us so I am appealing to the Lagos crowd to please to come out again in their thousands and support us in February.” 
    “The weather was also agreeable, I was expecting it to be very hot but it wasn’t, the weather was good’’.
    Kiptum praised the Lagos State Government and the sponsor, Access Bank, for putting Nigeria on the global marathon map again,
    “I strongly believe that Nigeria can compete with the world in marathons and road races if they invest in the talents they have. Remember, about 30 years ago they had Abbass Muhammed who was doing 2.16:00 then. At the last outing; there was Philip Sharabutu who ran 2:30:51 and some other young runners who finished the race under 2.40:00. If these runners are supported with the right coaches and they run regularly, they can catch up with the rest of the world in five years’’ said Kiptum.
  • 50,000 athletes to participate in 2017 Lagos city marathon – Ambode

    50,000 athletes to participate in 2017 Lagos city marathon – Ambode

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday said no fewer than 50,000 athletes from across the world are expected to participate in the second edition of Access Bank Lagos City Marathon billed to hold on February 11, 2017. 

    Governor Ambode, who stated this at Lagos House in Ikeja while addressing a world press conference on the marathon, said necessary logistics have been put in place to make the event hugely successful, and as well promote the tourism potentials of the State.

    The Governor said about 33, 753 runners including 65 elite marathoners from different parts of the world and over 100 local elite runners participated in the 2016 edition held on February 6 this year, while the marathon was adjudged as one of the best in the world.

    He said the government was working to ensure that the 2017 edition of the Lagos City Marathon billed to hold on Saturday, February 11, 2017 would see a major improvement compared to the maiden edition.

    Governor Ambode said that as a result of the success of the maiden edition, several individuals and corporate organisations have contacted the organisers of the Marathon to partner towards ensuring a successful tourney, adding that it would go a long way to engage and empower thousands of Lagosians in various sectors.

    The Governor said that the 2017 edition, would also feature the top ten men and women marathoners in the world, who would also be joined by many gold label, silver label and bronze label marathoners from different parts of the world.

    He said the appearance fees for gold label runners is $50,000, silver label $20,000 and bronze label $10,000, adding that invited local and foreign elite runners would be paid 50 per cent of their appearance fee now and balance up when they arrive Lagos for the tourney.

    Winner of the 2017 Lagos City Marathon, according to the Governor would also go home with a cash prize of $50,000, while second and third place winners will smile home with $40,000 and $30,000 respectively.

    “The Lagos City Marathon is presently ranked 68th in the world, but our desire is to make it the top ten in the world and that is what we are working on with the next episode of the event.

    “Unlike the one held on February 6 this year, where we had over 30,000 athletes who participated, we are targeting a minimum of 50,000 runners who will take the city of Lagos by storm and put the city on the world map for coming up with such a huge event.

    “We look forward to something exciting happening in Lagos. We are going to use sports as a vehicle to help develop our youths and when you talk about youth development you have to talk about recreational sports, about how you mentally activate younger ones and we just think that this marathon is one of those vehicles that we should use to galvanise sports in younger ones and even Lagosians at large,” Governor Ambode said.

    The Governor also expressed optimism that the success of the first edition and efforts to make next year’s edition bigger, the Lagos City Marathon would soon be labeled by the IAAF.

    “We may get the CAA label before February 11, 2017; this will be another feat. We have put the necessary machinery in place to have a more elaborate start and a grand finish for this edition. There will also be entertainment at the finish for runners and spectators,” he said.

    The Governor also added that for the 2017 edition, plans have been put in place to accommodate volunteers who would work hand in hand to make the event a success, adding that every volunteer would get a certificate signed by him and their names will be in Lagos State data base for volunteers.

    He said that the State Government was working with other partners to address the challenges and hiccups recorded in the first edition of the Marathon, assuring that he would personally supervise the logistics required for the event.

    “Route education plan will be released early so that Lagosians can plan their movement on race day. There will also be live transmission for the local and global audience. There will be clearer and bolder kilometer marking along the route. Our target is to also make Lagosians proud of this event and make them look forward to it every year,” the Governor said.

    On his part, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director of Access Bank, the major partners of the Lagos City Marathon, expressed optimism that the 2017 edition of the race would be bigger and better.

    He said Access Bank was glad to partner with Lagos State, noting that the success of the first edition did not only showcase Lagos to be an avenue for sports development, but also for the growth of tourism and youth development.