Yomi Omogbeja (10/10/2004)

Africa's communications giant, MTN is breathing fresh air into long distance running in Nigeria.

In what was a remarkable change since the demise of the Milo marathon series, cross country runners now have a major road race to look forward to annually.

Now in it's third year, the MTN Lagos International Half Marathon is better organised than ever.

Come November 20, a record number 30, 000 athletes, fun runners and corporate runners are expected to participate in the 21.7-kilometre race.

To spice it up, a four-regional road race event, spread across four cities of Enugu, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Ibadan, was introduced as a prelude to the Lagos finale.

Event's general manager, Abass Umoru, said: "Nigeria is blessed with great marathon runners, especially in the Northern states because of their high altitude.

" All we need do at this moment is to engender interest among our Northern athletes and before long, we’ll be a force to be reckon with in the world."

Corporate interests

The event has also generated interests from the media as Nigeria’s leading daily circulating tabloid, The Sun newspapers has chosen to co-sponsor the Lagos event.

The paper's deputy managing director Dimgba Igwe, pledged "to give the event it’s utmost priority of place in terms of media campaign."

"This we intend to achieve through a well co-ordinated publicity that will intimate our teeming readers with all there is to know about the marathon sports,” he said.

Aside contributing 15 million Naira, (about 72, 000 pounds sterling) the newspaper "will host other patrons of the marathon event and dedicate regular pages to marathon news, events, interviews, photos, features, analysis and profile of the marathoners."

This gesture is seen by athletics watchers as good leveraging opportunity for sports development in the country.

One man who's definately benefiting from the revival of long distance running in the country, is track coach Maug Dakara.

The Plateau state instructor is the only marathon coach in the country and has some of the best long distance runners in his camp.

Dakara's five wards presently dominate the MTN Regional Half Marathon since one of them Kilobas Fatswalk Isah won the opening leg in Enugu in July.

'Culture of Sprints'

At the Ibadan leg, Danjuma Gyang, Wilson Eku, Richard Anthony and Gyanyong Emmanuel finished in that order respectively. Kaduna leg winner Wilson Eku, though competes for Bauchi state, aslo trains with him.

Dakara told the press in Ibadan that "those who are saying that we don't have people who can represent this country in marathon are just selfish and do not want to depart from the culture of sprint and quarter mile."

"Look at what is happening in the MTN Marathon, is that not an indication that with proper planning, Nigeria can be amongst the best in the sport in the world?" he queried.

"If those in charge of our sports are really interested in developing marathon all they need to do is to get people like us who know the in and out of marathon and not those textbook theorists in the ministry.

"I can swear that in two years, Nigerians will be challenging the East Africans," he added.

U.S based female long distance runner, Mary Akor agrees with Coach Dakara's assessment. She was shocked at being dropped from the Nigerian Olympic team to Athens despite making the qualifying time at the July trials.

She said Nigeria had the potential of surpassing even the more established long distance nations, "if the sport governing people are just able to sit up and do the right thing".

She said: "I made the time so why was my name not included in the list? I don't get it. People should have a free mind set on everything.

"They shouldn't just say, 'well this thing is for Kenyans or Ethiopians.' This is a very big country with very talented people, so to just restrict ourselves to the sprints is like limiting our ability."

"It is a defeatist posture to just say 'we would not win' because I have raced against these Kenyans and won in some events back in the States, so why do they just think backward here?" she asked local journalists.

Hitch-free race

Preparations for the event has gone far and the medical team has assured members of the public that adequate medical facilities would be stationed at every strategic point during the race.

Committee Chairman Dr. Amao said that a combined team of medical experts would be drawn from the Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, St. John's Ambulance Brigade, and the Federal Sports Medicine Centre to ensure that causalities are given prompt medical attention.

"Anyone who has had a bout of malaria two weeks prior to the event should not run the marathon competitively. "If they must run, they must ensure that they do not stress themselves as the race may put more pressure on the body temperature," he said.

Also the Lagos State Transport Management Authority, LASTMA, has promised to ensure a hassle-free traffic control during the event.

Chief Executive Officer Yemi Odubela said "we have the manpower and the logistics to take care of traffic during and immediately after the event."

About 17,500 people participated in the maiden edition of the marathon in 2002.