Abuja International Marathon announces Jumbo Prize money for winners, unprecedented packages as 7up partners
This prize money is unprecedented in the history of marathons in Nigeria as the highest prize money ever won by elite runners in the country was 50,000 dollars.
By Olusola Adebayo
The organizer of the Abuja International Marathon, AIM, step up preparation towards the successful hosting of the first edition this year with the announcement of 55,000 dollars for the elite race winner.
This prize money is unprecedented in the history of marathons in Nigeria as the highest prize money ever won by elite runners in the country was 50,000 dollars.
Zussuzanna Ogunniloyo, the Managing Director of Unicentral Resources Generation, the organizer of the first-ever road race in the Federal Capital City, said in Lagos on Thursday in a media parley.
An excited Ogunmiloyo who announced a total of $125,000 for the top three finishers said they intend to adequately reward the athletes who have put lots of effort into getting to the podium.
“I’m happy to talk about the prize money for the Abuja International Marathon,” she said before dishing out the breakdown. “For the men and women in the international race, the top prize is $55,000; the second prize is $40,000 while the third prize is $30,000".
The director stated that they are going to give prize money to the first 10 athletes in the international race.
She also announced that the first three Nigerians to finish the race would also smile home with the first athlete getting N3m, the second and third placed athletes getting N2m and N1m respectively, while the 5th to 10th will also be rewarded.
The 10km runner family fun runner winner will take home one million while the winner of the Secondary school race will be rewarded with 500,000 nairas as the top five finishers will also be rewarded.
Meanwhile, the Director of Marketing, John Shittu unveil Seven-Up bottling company as the first official partner and promised they can deliver one of the best marathons in the land as more partners are queuing up to be part of the exciting project.
“Very soon, we are going to unveil the main sponsor because more corporate bodies are showing interest in partnering with the Abuja International Marathon". Shittu said.
The FCT’s Director of Sports, Istifanus Luka, is optimistic that Abuja International Marathon will be successful as the FCT is ready to host her first major marathon in the country’s capital and lots of bids were rejected before Unicentral Resources Generation Limited was chosen as the event organizers after the scrutiny of many bidders.
The Race Director, Olukayode Thomas, highlighted some of the innovations that Nigerians should expect.
This includes the payment of appearance fees for elite Nigerian runners, this is also a first in the history of marathons in Nigeria, Olukayode affirmed.
The veteran Athletics buff also revealed that there would be a 10-day International Expo to herald the Abuja Marathon race, In showcasing the people and culture of Abuja adding the official theme song of the event submitted by students from Abuja and its environs, would soon be picked and released to the public.
Over 3500 athletes are expected to compete at the race with 120 elite athletes already signed up for the 42 KM race, the main event which is slated for April 29, 2023.