The winner of the 42km Elite Race in the 2026 Enugu City International Marathon will pocket $15,000, the organisers have announced.
 
The second edition of the marathon will hold this Saturday, and according to the organisers, Nilayo Sports, the event will transform the Coal City.
 
The second position winner in the elite category will go home with $10,000, while winners of the third, fourth and fifth positions will take home $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.
 
Nilayo Sports Management, in a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday, said that the Nigerian winner of the 42km will get N3 million; second position, N2m; third position, N1.5m; fourth place, N1 million, and the fifth position winner will pocket N500,000.
 
In the 10km marathon (for Nigerian runners only), the first position winner will pocket N1 million, second position N750,000, third position N500,000, fourth position N300,000 and fifth position N200,000.
 
Nilayo Sports Management said the announcement reinforces the marathon’s dual mission: to attract world-class talent to Enugu, while investing directly in Nigerian athletes and grassroots running.
 
The organisers said that the technical operations have been finalised, while the race course has been measured and certified.
 
“Medical, security, and logistics teams have completed briefings,” the Managing Director of Nilayo Sports, Mrs Yetunde Olopade said, adding that digital timing systems and broadcast infrastructure were also in place to deliver live coverage to audiences across Nigeria and beyond.
 
“Year one was our introduction to the world, and Year two is our standard,” she said. “With this prize structure, Enugu is ready to host world-class competition and reward the talent of our own. The Enugu City International Marathon is more than a race. It is an economic driver and a platform for city branding.
 
“Beyond the economy, the marathon is a statement of identity. When the world watches Enugu run, the world learns Enugu’s name, as a safe, vibrant, and capable host city open for tourism, investment, and talent,” she said.