55,000 athletes to run at 2nd Access Bank Lagos City Marathon

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2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

2nd Access bank Marathon Photo: Twitter/Access bank

No fewer than 55,000 athletes will run at the 2nd Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on Saturday, Yusuf Alli, General Manager of the race said on Friday.

Alli, who made the disclosure, told a news conference at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island that the number included 64 foreign and 102 Nigerian elite athletes would compete for honours at the event.

The foreign athletes comprise mostly of Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes.

He said they hoped the number for the race and the foreign and local elite athletes would increase at the third edition.

Deji Tinubu, the Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), said that he was optimistic that the world would see the excellence and tourism potential of the mega city.

“We want to show the world the excellence of Lagos as a mega city, its tourism potential and the safety in Lagos.

“Welcome to Lagos, sports lives here, we hope to see you come back next year,’’ Tinubu told the runners.

He also commended the sponsors of the race, including Aquafina, 7-Up Bottling Company, BET Naija and Eko Atlantic.

Tinubu expressed the hope that a Nigerian would win in the subsequent editions.

Omatseye Nesiama, the Head of Security for the marathon, said that security would be tighter; adding that water points would be guarded by security men.

NAN reports that the first edition on Feb. 6, 2016, was won by Abraham Kiptom of Kenya in male category, while Halima Hussain Kayo of Ethiopia clinched the female title.

In the Nigeria category, Philip Sharabutu won the male race and Oluwaseun Olamide won the female.

The winners will get 50,000 dollars, while the second and third position winners will get 40,000 and 30,000 dollars each respectively.

The winners in the Nigerian category will get N1 million.