All is set for Saturday’s 8th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon; over 5,000 runners will vie for the top prizes in both the 42km and 10km races. And general manager of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Yusuf Alli has assured that the event will pass without any hiccup adding that since the event is now a gold label race, organisers cannot afford to take their hands off the plough. “We are now a gold label race, Lagos is the third City to achieve this status under three years, “said Alli who is also Edo State Sports Commission chairman. “We want a perfect start and clean finish, the race will start at 7.am, 30 seconds before or 30 seconds after. “So we must live up to that standard of organizing a flawless race. There are lots of things to be done to maintain that status and we are going to do more to improve. For instance, for the elite runners every 5 km their water bottles are ready on the table and the runners know where to get their bottles.”
He added that incentives are on the table for any athlete that will break the 2.10.00 barrier. Speaking in the same vein, chairman Nilayo Sports owners of the event, Bukola Olapade said there would be a price increase next year, adding that it is pleasant to achieve a gold medal status.“We are now one of the biggest in the world and the biggest in Africa. “When we dream of this event there were some who were skeptical. But we had sleepless nights to be in a gold label status. We have new things in store for the 8th edition and next year there would be an increase in the prize money,”” Mr. Olapade.
