The Kenyan-American Elkanah Kibet has won the 8th Lagos City Marathon sponsored by the Access Bank PLC, finishing the race on the record time of 2:14:00 on Saturday morning.
Kibet, born June 2, 1983 is a long distance runner.
An alumnus of Auburn University, Kibet is also a financial management technician in the United States Army and competes in marathons as a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.
For the first time since the commencement of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, a total of 16 refugees from different parts of the world, including Syria, competed with elite athletes.
The Chief Executive Officer of Nilayo Sports Management, organiser of the race, Bukola Olopade, had announced at a world press conference in Lagos on Friday, that the refugees from Syria and other countries would compete in Saturday’s event, the first Gold-Label marathon to hold in Nigeria.
Olopade also stated that the prize money for the 2024 edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon would increase, just as he thanked the various sponsors for their support so far.
Also speaking, the General Manager of the race, former long jumper, Yusuf Alli, disclosed that an additional sum of $10,000 had been set aside for any athlete, who finished the race below 2hours, 10 minutes.
“This is the first edition of the Gold-Label Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, and our focus is get some athletes who can run below 2hours and 10minutes to boost our chances of securing the Platinum Label status as soon as possible. The extra $10,000 will serve as a moral booster for the runners. There is also extra $1,000 for any athlete who can finish the race below 2hours, 11minutes,” Alli stated.
The President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Tonobok Okowa commended the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management, for its foresight and managerial capability in winning the Gold-Label status within a short period.
Ethiopia’s Hayla Bazu Worku led the team of foreign world-class runners at the Gold-Label race.
Worku is one of the fastest full marathon runners in the world, having participated in six World-class marathons finishing in less than 2hours 9 minutes.