Access Bank Lagos City Marathon: Kenya’s Kiptum Retains Title

Access Bank Lagos City Marathon: Kenya’s Kiptum Retains Title

Kenyans Abraham Kiptom and Tanui Rodah, on Saturday, won the men and women’s categories of the 2nd Access Bank Lagos City Marathon but it was seven-year-old Damilola Oluwaseun who stole the show after completing the final 10km of the 42km race.

The race started at the National Stadium, Lagos and finished at the Eko Atlantic City.

Oluwaseun, who was immediately attended to by a group of officials after an amazing run, said, “I feel happy to run the 10km (of the race); it was not easy.”

Kenyan runners once again dominated the race winning the first three positions in both categories. Last year’s winner Kiptum retained his men’s title when he crossed the finish line in 2:15.23 and pocket the $50000 prize money for the winners alongside compatriot Jepokorir, who won the women’s race in 2:37:52.

Second-placed Ronny Kipkoech returned in 2:15:25 to win $30000 while Kiprotich Kiroi won the third prize of $20000 in 2:15:30. Fellow Kenyans Fridah Lodepa and Alice Timbilili finished in 2:38:22 and 2:39:02 to emerge as first and the second runners-up respectively in the women’s category.

However, it was not all gloom for Nigerians as they finished among the top 17 athletes in the men’s category while they finished amongst the first 12 in the women’s category.

In the men’s category, Ilya Pam of Nasarawa finished in 2:31:17 to claim the N1m prize for the first Nigerian athlete while his teammate from Nasarawa, who was also the first Nigerian at the 2016 edition, Philibus Sharabutu, finished in 2:37:51 to place second. He won N50000.

Kevin Olude of Ogun State, first Nigerian in the women’s category, finished in 2:55:16 to win the N1m cash prize.

In the women’s category of the wheelchair race, which covered 10km, Rio 2016 Paralympian Hannah Babalola finished in 28:84 to win the N1m at stake beating Jumoke Olajide, who finished in 34:62 to second place, while Nkiruka Okoro came third in in 39:12.

Shefiu Ojeleye finished in 28:42 to win the men’s wheelchair race while Jelili Akanni finished second in 29:63 and Shola Opaleke finished third in 31:84 minutes.

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, praised the athletes while promising that the event would get bigger in the next edition. He also announced February 10, 2018 as the date of the next edition of the race.

Sixty-four foreign and 102 local elite athletes participated in the race that registered 55,000 runners from 27 countries, including Nigeria.

A total prize money of $370,000 — $185,000 for the men and $185,000 for women – was given to the winners while the top three in both categories of the wheelchair race received N1,000,000, N750,000 and N500,000 respectively.

It was learnt that the organisers would increase the prize money for next year’s edition after a successful first two championships.

“We actually wanted to increase the prize money this year but we couldn’t due to the high rate of foreign exchange,” President of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba, said.