Paul Kosgei leads the 2002 MTN Lagos Half Marathon (© Ulf Saletti)
The 2nd MTN Lagos International Half Marathon will be run on Saturday 29 November, with a record number of participants including a particularly strong elite field.
The 1st MTN Lagos International Half Marathon in November 2002 was a great success with over 15,000 entries. The highlight was a strong showing by the 2002 World Half Marathon Champion Paul Kosgei who won in an impressive 63 minutes in the hot conditions, ahead of countryman John Korir, and this year’s World Half Marathon silver medallist Fabian Joseph of Tanzania.
The second edition of the race will be even bigger, with over 20,000 entries having been received when the entry deadline was reached two weeks ago, and the distribution of running numbers has already taken place over two days of registration at the National Stadium.
The race will also include a special Corporate Relay with over 1400 runners who will start ahead of the main race, along with the wheelchair category.
Loroupe heads women’s field
This Saturday's race will feature three time World Half Marathon Champion (1997-1999) Tegla Loroupe, who will race for the first time in the West African country of Nigeria. Her latest race a few weeks ago was the Kobe Half Marathon (2nd 71.53) and she takes a break from preparations for her own Peace Race in Pokot, Kenya in a few weeks time to come to Lagos. Not surprisingly, the local media and public are very excited about getting a chance to see one of Africa's all time greats in long distance running, on the roads of Lagos.
She will meet strong opposition from Hawa Hussein of Tanzania and fellow Kenyan Peris Chepkech, and a number of top female runners from Cameroon and Nigeria.
Top notch men’s field – 6 sub 61minute runners
The men’s race this year will be of an overall higher quality than last year, and will feature no less than 6 men with sub-61 minute personal bests, among them 4 athletes out of the top 11 on this year’s world list.
The top name is this year’s World Half Marathon individual bronze medallist and team gold medallist, Martin Sulle of Tanzania (PB 60:56). He is joined by his young compatriot, 20 year-old Faustin Baha who in 2000 ran 60.05 for the third fastest run of that year in the world (also 59:38 in Lisbon; downhill course). Baha is now back to form after two disappointing seasons when he could not live up to those same high standards.
The team from Kenya is led by Joseph Ngolepus, Berlin Marathon winner in 2001 and the 3rd placer in this year’s London Marathon (2:07.15) this year - (PB 60:56).
Another top name is James Kwambai who is currently the third fastest in the world this year with his 60:38, which he set when winning the Udine Half Marathon, Italy earlier this year.
The winner of this year’s Berlin Half Marathon, Paul Kirui (PB 60:52) is also in the field together with strong country men David Kosgei (PB 60:21).
The other strong runners who will also feature in the race come from Ethiopia and Uganda, plus teams from the neighbouring West African countries Cameroon, Ivory coast, Togo, Benin, Senegal.
Nigerian Federation is promoting distance running
The race is organized by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria under the leadership of their president Dan Ngerem, and with the support of the title sponsor, Telecom company MTN.
The race is part of the development of long distance running in Nigeria, a country only really know for it’s sprinters in the past. This year the top Nigerian over the finish line in the race will be the lucky winner of a car, which means that many of the serious Nigerian runners have been training with a special goal for a long time to reach the top position to take home the car!
The race will start in the morning (08.30hrs) on Saturday at the Outer Marina Road on Lagos Island and then go around Victoria Island before finishing in the National Stadium, Surulere.
