Pamodzi Sports Marketing, organiser of the historic Okpekpe international 10km Road Race, has congratulated Nilayo Sports Management, Access Bank, and Lagos State Government on the successful organisation of the 10th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.
Zack Amodu, the Okpekpe international 10km road race Director, is thrilled organisers of the Lagos Marathon have been steadfast and focused on delivering an event that grew from bronze to a gold label race. "We at Okpekpe international 10km race can only be happy that organisers of Lagos City Marathon have been able to successfully navigate the path we cleared as the first road running event in West Africa to have its race course measured by a World Athletics certified course measurer.
"We are also the first to be officially recognised as a world-class event by World Athletics with the granting of a bronze label status in 2015, eight years after the world governing body started classifying road races," said Amodu. Okpekpe race organisers celebrated 10 years of organising the label race in 2024, and Amodu stressed that he understands how organisers of the event in Lagos must be feeling after delivering another successful race on Saturday. Amodu believes organisers of road races in Nigeria have helped in laying a solid foundation in Nigeria and want the appropriate authorities to take it a step further.
"Distance running in Nigeria is the most lucrative among the athletics disciplines, and the earlier government makes a deliberate attempt at growing it, the better for the country. If our athletes are trained and encouraged to achieve times that will qualify them to run across the globe like the east Africans are doing now, the impact it will have on alleviating poverty, provide employment and contribute positively to our GDP will be massive. "It will also arrest the negative tendencies of our youths who are being used by the devil to perpetuate criminality," added Amodu who is thrilled as many as 20 road races courses have measured and certified by World Athletics certified course measurers.
