Organisers of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon have revealed that for the first time in this part of the world, electronic transponders would be used to gauge the progress of the athletes during the race scheduled for February 6.

A transponder is a wireless communications, monitoring, or control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal. The transponder output signal is tracked, so the position of the transponder can be constantly monitored. The input (receiver) and output (transmitter) frequencies are preassigned and it can operate over distances of thousands of miles.

Speaking during an interactive session with the media yesterday, the General Manager of the marathon, Yusuf Alli, said the organisers “will deploy over 10,000 transponders at the back of every athletes’ bib so that each time they cross a mark we will know.”

He revealed that officials of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) would be on hand to learn how to use the transponders from experts from abroad, who will man the equipment in this edition of the race.

He also revealed that the race organisers were still working to engage pace setters as requested by the “elite athletes to ensure we record good times.

“The pace makers draw appearance fees but they don’t finish the race. Their job is to control the athletes’ speed to a certain extent and we think employing them would help us in our quest for labelling by the IAAF.

“The world record is 2hours 2 minutes, but if we record 2 hours six minutes we would be good for a gold medal label,” Alli enthused.

Also speaking at the parley, AFN President, Solomon Ogba, revealed that he had been inundated by calls from Nigerian professionals based overseas, who are excited that “this marathon is happening in Nigeria.”

Ogba said, “Some Nigerian doctors based in the United States have volunteered to come home to assist in the medical section of the race.

“The marathon has put Lagos at the centre of global discourse and it has the potential to change peoples’ perception of Nigeria. So, I want to call on other governors to support such mass participation sports as the marathon as through it we can identify talented athletes for the country.”

He also called on the churches, Mosques and other religious bodies to get their members involved in the marathon due to its ‘many advantages to the individual and the society.’