On Saturday, February 10, Ayomide Phillips, an athlete, started his journey about 4:30am to the National Stadium in Surulere to race in the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon which was set to start by 6:30am.
The 10km race began at Grace Garden Events Centre in Lekki, while the 42km race began at the National Stadium in Surulere and they both ended at the Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island.
Despite the traffic from his home in Ifako-Ijaiye to Surulere, Phillips arrived just in time for the race, aiming for the $50,000 grand prize. While it was his debut at the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, he had previously earned multiple medals participating in races during his time at the University of Ibadan.
“My sole motive was to win the grand prize or any cash prize but those Kenyans are quite fast. I will try again next year and practice hard,” Phillips shared with The Record.
Unlike Phillips, many participants joined the marathon for the thrill of the race or to achieve their fitness goals. The track saw a mix of young and old racers enjoying the experience.
Fourteen-year-old cyclist Hashiru Ibrahim, who has been cycling since the age of ten, noted that it was his second time participating in the marathon as a cyclist.
“It was good, I enjoyed it and I really liked it,” Ibrahim said while appreciating the Lagos State Government for the initiative.
Njideka Esomeju, the Access Bank Group head of Consumer Banking, cited community, family, and friendship as her motivation for participating in the marathon. Being a member of the Access Women Network, she described the race as an experience that brings women together to attain their fitness goals.
Omolaso Onochie, a cyclist who had procrastinated joining the race for years, finally participated this year and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
“Seeing other people take on to the road without their vehicles just shows us our Lagos can be with more people using their legs and bicycles. It shows how Lagos can be with less vehicles on the road. It just makes moving around Lagos much easier,” Onochie said to The Record.
Bernard Sang joined the ranks of previous Kenyan winners at the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. He clinched the Gold-Label 42km race in 2024 with a time of 02:16:49, earning him the $30,000 prize.
Cheprot secured the second position, and Edwin Kiptoo claimed the third spot among the Kenyan participants. They earned $20,000 and $1,000 in prize money, respectively.
In the women’s category, 25-year-old Kebene Chala from Ethiopia became the first woman to cross the finish line at the 2024 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. Shehu Muazu, the initial Nigerian finisher, received a cash prize of N1 million for his achievement in the same event.