World elite athletes battle For $50,000 as Lagos City Marathon holds today

The 9th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will hold today, with a record 88 elite runners. The 42km race, as usual, will start at the National Stadium, Lagos, by 6.30am and finish at the Eko Atlantic City on Victoria Island.

There is also the 10km race meant for the Nigerian athletes, who cannot cope with the international standards, N1million is at stake for the top finisher.

One of the pacers for the elite athletes, Bernard Cheti, who has been a regular in the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon said all the athletes are ready to compete and return in good times as organisers of the race are looking for the magic 2hrs.8minutes run that will further boost the chances of the Lagos City Marathon becoming a gold label race.

“We are all looking forward to competing here, it has been fantastic coming here for all the editions, and I can say that this is one of the best races in the world,” Bernard said at a press conference held at the bank head office in Lagos, yesterday.

He continues: “But the runners have asked me to tell the organisers that payment of winning prizes should be within a month.” Responding, Access Bank Lagos City Marathon General Manager, Yusuf Alli, stated that, once all the winners have been cleared of any doping offence, they would get their winnings within the one month stipulated for payments.

“The winning prizes for athletes is guaranteed and the man in charge is ready to pay once all the winning athletes have been cleared of doping,” Alli said.

He noted that all arrangements have been put in place to produce a world standard run as they aim to be a gold label status race.

“Though the humidity is 100 percent, which makes it difficult to produce a 2hrs.8mins runner. We have the flattest race course in the world, and so we are hopeful the athletes will give their best to give us the performance that will put the race in the world top bracket.”