760 register for 10th Ibadan City Marathon Race

No fewer than 760 participants have already registered to participate in the 10th edition of the 42-kilometre Ibadan City Marathon scheduled to hold on April 8.

Oyebisi Asimolowo, Chairman of the race’s Organising Committee, disclosed this in Ibadan on Thursday at an occasion to unveil the activities related to the race.
The marathon is sponsored by an Ibadan-based radio station, Splash FM, owned by West Midland Communications.
Mr. Asimolowo said the theme of the race, which is “Keep it Fit’’, was carefully chosen to encourage the people to keep themselves healthy and fit.
She stated that no fewer than 600 participants have registered online, while more than 160 others have already picked the registration form manually.
“This edition of the marathon which begun in 2009 will feature the wheelchair race, artisan race, corporate race and group race.
“The races in this competition have been designed to encourage people to have fun and keep themselves fit,” the organising committee chairman said.
Mr. Asimolowo said the first male and female runners in the main race would go home with the prize money of N1 million and N800,000 respectively.
Mr. Asimolowo stated that there is also an addition to the event, the group marathon, which would promote team work.
“It involves groups with a minimum of five members, and they must ensure members complete the race.’’
She said further that the organisers have never recorded any casualty in the race which used to be known as Splash FM Integrity Marathon.
“We will continue to sustain such, through adequate provision of security and medical services.’’
While speaking at the occasion, Femi Ajao, the South-West Zonal Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, expressed appreciation to Splash FM and others who have helped in sustaining the race.
He said plans were underway to change the course of the race in the 10th edition to allow it showcase the massive infrastructure development in the state and heritage sites.
“Ibadan has good topography, weather and low humidity. We have made lot of efforts and progress.
“We have discussed with those in charge of our Paralympics and we are going to make provision for the professional wheel chairs for the wheelchair race.
“We have been discussing with certified authorities and we are sure that the marathon will become international in the next edition,” he said.
Also, Niyi Alebiosu, Chairman of the Oyo State Chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), assured the race organisers of an excellent coverage of events.
“We have been covering the race from the beginning and I can assure you that my colleagues are up to the task,” he said.