For organisers of the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon, it has been a decade of braveness, resilience, and sheer grit.
Ten years on, Nigerians are reaping the total advantages of the Marathon, particularly its contributions to the financial improvement of the host metropolis, Lagos specifically, the and the nation usually.
In the identical manner, lengthy distance runners from throughout the globe proceed to smile going by the large monetary positive factors they make at each version of the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon since 2016.
At inception, the objective of the partnership was to supply strategic assist to the nation’s sports activities business and promote a wholesome and energetic way of life amongst residents. The marketing campaign actions was constructed across the theme: ‘Working from the Outdated to the New’.
The 2016 Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon had 50,000 registered contributors, and was ranked second in Africa, after the Cape City Marathon by the All-Athletics.com. It was additionally ranked 71 amongst over 1,000 worldwide marathons throughout the globe.
One main achievement by the marathon was clinching the World Athletics Bronze Label on the heels of its second version in 2017, turning into the third marathon on this planet to perform such feat inside that point.
The marathon received awarded the Silver Label two years later (2019), turning into the primary ever marathon on this planet to realize this after solely 4 editions.
And in 2023, the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon earned the World Athletics Gold Label forward of that 12 months’s version of the Race, formally turning into the primary full marathon in Africa to attain this historic feat and the twenty fifth on this planet to be awarded the coveted standing.
It’s worthy to notice that the World Athletics Gold Label is awarded to races that fulfill the worldwide physique’s necessities when it comes to high quality of organisation and administration amongst different standards.
With its new standing come larger expectations for this tenth version, and the organisers and sponsors of the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon are saying that come Saturday, February 15, 2025, they may ship a race that rivalled earlier editions in attain, affect and magnitude— proving that the Marathon is certainly worthy of its standing and is effectively on its method to clinching the elite label.
Hopefully, the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon will purpose on the Platinum Label, which is the very best ranking any worldwide marathon can attain.
Amongst its many achievements up to now, the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon partnered with the UN Refugee Company (UNHCR) to supply a platform for fundraising and consciousness for refugees throughout Africa. Executed for the primary time in 2023 version, over 16 refugees from throughout Africa and Syria participated within the enthralling highway race.
Entry Financial institution PLC teamed up with ParallelPoint Seek the advice of to hold out a recyclable waste pickup initiative throughout certainly one of its previous editions, an effort which resulted within the assortment of 10,000 tonnes of waste that had been reworked into helpful and socially useful merchandise.
To strengthen its dedication to sustainability through the Race, Entry Financial institution PLC collaborated with The Nigeria Enterprise Coalition In opposition to Aids (NiBUCAA) to launch a large HIV/AIDS consciousness initiative. This included informative periods to coach individuals about HIV/AIDS, in addition to the distribution of condoms and provision of HIV testing and counseling providers to five,486 contributors. This partnership aimed to advertise HIV/AIDS consciousness and assist forestall its unfold.
The Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon, specifically, has empowered quite a lot of individuals within the hospitality business, together with food and drinks distributors, style designers, advertisers, communication companies and consultants, technical officers, and volunteers that had been all engaged from the strategy planning stage to the completion of the marathon. The leisure business isn’t overlooked.In Nigeria, vacationers particularly love “African souvenirs”, a lot of that are made accessible alongside the routes of the marathon and off-site.
Inside a brief interval, the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon grew in energy. The 2018 version hosted 35 gold label athletes, 12 silver and 13 bronze label athletes, together with 120 worldwide and 150 Nigerian elite athletes. These numbers don’t keep in mind the vacationers who had been additionally current as observers and supporters of the racers.
In 2019, 120,000 individuals registered to run the 42km path from the Nationwide Stadium, Surulere to Eko Atlantic.
Through the years, the marathon has grown, pulling in additional sponsors and contributors, and with them, extra observers and lovers.
Past the match and energetic way of life that operating promotes, marathons have develop into sport tourism occasions. Folks now take part in marathons for different causes which embody; vanity booster, self-actualisation, self-therapy, and even socialisation.
Marathons aren’t solely useful to the contributors but in addition to the host cities. It is because of this that extra cities are launching races to advertise tourism and increase their picture.
Lagos, a cosmopolitan metropolis, has been a vacation spot level for a lot of vacationers throughout the globe. The route for the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon was excellently deliberate to indicate off a few of the metropolis’s best landmarks, together with Eko Atlantic which solely grows in splendour as the development of the megacity continues.
Considering the transportation, motels, eating, social actions, post-run sightseeing, household and buddies which are more likely to accompany the runners, and the scale of some marathons, it’s a straightforward guess that marathons trigger a notable increase to the host metropolis’s tourism business.
By internet hosting a marathon broadly watched throughout the continent and the world, Lagos has constantly knowledgeable buyers, vacationers, and international governments that the state is prepared for enterprise.
Whereas recognising the trouble and funding required in internet hosting such an occasion, it additionally additional stimulates future vacationer visits, not simply through the occasion. For instance, the inevitable financial profit for a lot of nations which have hosted the Olympic Video games embody the post-Olympic impact of an inflow in worldwide vacationer arrivals.
Moreover, occasion publicity additionally will increase curiosity and the demand for native services and products from distributors, style designers, advertisers, journey companies and consultants, even when shoppers are but to go to the world.
Completely different marathons entice runners who spend cash on consumables and sports activities tools. Worldwide contributors additionally spend cash on flights and lodging, whereas native athletes (who make as much as 90 per cent of the runners) additionally spend cash on consumables and each different alternative with a purpose to absolutely expertise the marathon.
Extending the affect of the Race past the collaborating athletes and sustainability-led initiatives, the Marathon has featured numerous converts for attendees who got here out to be entertained. Nigeria’s Afro Home queen, Niniola, in addition to nice entertainers like Zlatan and Shina Peters invented the Owambe social gathering into the occasion with the leisure section, which mirrored Entry Financial institution’s penchant for excellence and outperforming expectations.
Certainly, the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon is placing Africa on the worldwide map and has gained the eye of the worldwide athletics neighborhood. That is evidenced by the august go to of Alessio Punzi, Head of Working and Mass Participation at World Athletics and Norie Williamson, Member of the World Athletics Technical Committee, to look at the race’s organisation and execution in Lagos.
Former Group Managing Director of Entry Financial institution Plc, the late Herbert Wigwe, performed an important position in guaranteeing the Marathon develop into what it’s at present.
Whereas talking in regards to the Marathon, Wigwe mentioned: “As one of many main banks in Nigeria and certainly Africa, it’s crucial for us to assist the financial and social improvement of the communities through which we function. Therefore, we’ve got sponsored the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon since 2016 to make Lagos State extra engaging to vacationers and international buyers alike.
“We have now additionally used this platform as an avenue to create ratite for us to assist the financial and social improvement of the communities through which we function. Therefore, we’ve got sponsored the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon to create extra jobs and alternatives to 1000’s within the state,” Wigwe acknowledged.
Nilayo Sports activities Administration has been the only organizer of the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon since its inception in 2016.
In 2024, former Chief Govt Officer of Nilayo Sports activities, Chief Bukola Olopade, who’s now the Normal Supervisor of the Nationwide Sports activities Fee (NSC) mentioned that financial affect of the Marathon doesn’t simply finish after the runners have crossed the end line.
He mentioned: “These individuals return to their house nations and share their experiences about Nigeria and significantly town of Lagos. That is possible essentially the most believable reason why the Entry Financial institution Lagos Metropolis Marathon has loved exponential progress through the years. We in Nilayo Sports activities Administration will proceed to do our greatest to make sure this occasion proceed to develop.”
Together with his appointment as DG, NSC, Olopade has since relinquished his place at Nilayo Sports activities Administration. His spouse, Mrs. Yetunde Olopade has since taken over the mantle of management and has promised to ship the most effective ever occasion come February 15, 2025, a day after the Valentine (Lovers Day).
In 2018, World athletics governing physique (former IAAF), launched the Platinum Label for the 2020 season. For the 2021 season, the Platinum Label was renamed Elite Platinum Label, the Gold Label was renamed Elite Label, and the Silver and Bronze Labels had been merged into Label Races.
The Labels are assessed and awarded annually. Race organisers have to use to the World Athletics for recognition, and present that their race can meet quite a lot of standards. The factors differ for the totally different ranges; Gold Labels have the strictest necessities, adopted by Silver, then Bronze. All three classes require what the World Athletics describes as a global elite discipline, that requires a minimum of 5 nations (4 for Bronze) to be represented by runners with instances quicker than the World Athletics’ pointers.
In step with this 12 months’s theme, the organisers say they may proceed to push the restrict, purpose for extra and construct in direction of attaining the unique Platinum Label standing.
![Man Allegedly Kills Mother Of His 3 Kids For Not Answering His Calls [Photos]](https://i0.wp.com/thebureau.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/19183440_73326f65f96118ca_jpeg_jpegbd7de0bab351a67b06f48680802482d7.jpeg?w=120&resize=120,86&ssl=1 "Man Allegedly Kills Mother Of His 3 Kids For Not Answering His Calls [Photos]")
