Marathoners in race for N2m
Athletes will be running for their share of the N2m prize money on offer in the Integrity Marathon this Sunday, in Ibadan. .
The race organised
by Splash FM and the Independent Corrupt Practices (and other related
offences) Commission (ICPC), is put together to involve sportsmen in the
fight against corruption.
The race, which
first held in 2009,remains the only full marathon race in the country,
with the runners expected to cover a distance of 42km.
The designated routes for the race according to the organisers are the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ring road-Dugbe road.
Spokesperson for the
organisers, Shina Alawode disclosed that athletes and officials are
expected to start arriving Ibadan on Thursday to familiarise themselves
with the routes while also adding that the race will be flagged off at
7am by the Sports Minister, Taoheed Adedoja.
He confirmed that over 700 runners in the male and female categories have registered for the race.
“All the logistics
have been put in place and there is the likelihood that more runners
will register before (Sunday) March 27. We have secured two hospitals
for emergency even though we don’t pray for any disaster,” he said.
Alawode also
dismissed rumours that the Ibadan marathon will from 2012 be upgraded to
an international event, with athletes from Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco and
other nations expected.
“What we are doing
now is to help our athletes improve their status; we understand the
passion of our people to see the likes of Haile Gerbressalisee, Martin
Lel, Paula Radcliffe and other top marathoners and this will be possible
when we have a corporate sponsor”.
Meanwhile, Bayo
Akande, the man behind the race has promised to continue to lend his
support to the annual event. An elated Akande said the idea is to flush
out corruption, which has affected every sector of the country including
sports.
“This race is designed to kick against corruption, we sports people
must come together to tackle corruption and that’s why it’s being staged
with the ICPC,” he said
Leave a Reply