World Athletics delegates to the 10th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon held Saturday, February 15, 2025, have commended the organisational acumen of Yusuf Alli who has managed the event since inception.
The WA delegates include Anna Molisova Air Quality Project Manager World Athletics, Olivia Meyonette Sweeney, Nadeem Kamm and Sadiq Sudan.
Speaking after the marathon, which is Africa’s biggest road race, the delegates said the technical aspects of the race was comparable to organisation of the seven biggest marathons in the world- New York, Berlin, London, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, and Sydney.
“The technical organisation of the marathon is at par with the best races in the world, we commend Alli and his fantastic team, they did a good job.”
The team also commended Alli for his brilliant idea of starting the race early which enabled the runner to run fast times despite the harsh weather.
“Despite the hot weather, the first runner still crossed the finish line in under 2 hours 15 minutes, if Alli had organised this race in Berlin or any city with friendly weather, the winner would probably finish in 2 hours, 2 minutes.”
Widely regarded as the godfather of marathons and road races in Nigeria, Alli made his name in sports as a jumper, sprinter and footballer.
His transition from field events to organizing and managing marathon road races and marathons shocked many including the World Athletics Road Running Manager Alessio Punzi.
When he visited Nigeria, Punzi was shocked that Alli he knew as a world-class jumper was the same Alli who was doing wonders in road races and marathons.
