Prize money for Access Bank Lagos City Marathon already secured, says Olopade

•Physically challenged runners to get appearance fee

With about nine days to the 2017 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon billed for February 11, organisers of the event have assured runners of prompt payment of their prize monies.

Project Consultant, Bukola Olopade, who made the disclosure in a chat with The Guardian yesterday also revealed that all physically challenged runners participating in the second edition of the Marathon would get appearance fee.

Several months after the maiden edition of the marathon race last year, athletes have to wait before they got their prizes. But the former Ogun Sports Commissioner, who is the Managing Director of Nilayo Nigeria Limited, said that there wouldn’t be any of such delay in this year’s edition.

“We have secured all the prize monies for this year’s marathon,” Olopade said. “That was the first thing on our minds and I am glad that it has been settled and we can assure all the athletes that there won’t be any delay.”

Olopade argued that the first edition of the marathon was like a crash programme. “It was a successful event, no doubt, but there were some areas of concern, which we have worked on this time. Till this moment, some people are still asking us how we did it. This is because it usually takes almost a year to plan for a marathon race of this magnitude, but we were able to do in a couple of weeks. We are grateful to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and the management of Access Bank for the wonderful job,” Olopade said.

He urged Lagosians to emulate their counterparts in other parts of the world and come out in their thousands to support the runners saying: “This edition is bigger and better but the main ingredient in any sporting event is the fans and am appealing to Lagosians to emulate their counterparts in New York, Accra, London, Dubai and other parts of the world and come out enmass to cheer the runners’’

Meanwhile, the Genaral Mamager for the marathon, former international, Yusuf Ali has disclosed that runners from over 18 countries, including 10 in Africa, Europe and America have indicated their intentions to participate in the race.