The Lagos Marathon is a silver label

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

held annually in :Lagos, Nigeria.

Overview

The origins of the event trace back to 1983 when the first ever Lagos international marathon took place. The Lagos International Marathon is organized by the

Athletic Federation of Nigeria The Athletics Federation of Nigeria is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Nigeria. It is a member of the Confederation of African Athletics and the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was founded as the Central Comm ...

and was preceded by several recurring

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

s held in the city where athletes like

John Cheruiyot Korir John Cheruiyot Korir (born 13 December 1981) is a Kenyan athlete who specializes in long-distance running. He is known to be an athlete who often shines at trials but fails to win big competitions. Career He was born in Kiramwok, Bomet District. ...

Paul Malakwen Kosgei Paul Malakwen Kosgei (born 22 April 1978, in Marakwet) is a Kenyan long-distance and marathon runner. He first came to prominence in athletics by taking the World Junior Record of 3000m steeple in 1997, and later with consecutive medals at the ...

and

Dieudonné Disi Dieudonné Disi (born 24 November 1980 in Nyanza District, Ntyazo, Butare) is a Rwandan Long-distance track event, long-distance and cross country running, cross country runner. In 2009 he competed in the marathon at the 2009 World Championships ...

emerged as winners. The Marathon course which spans a distance of about 42 km, starts at National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, (where previous half marathons initially finished), continues along the

Third Mainland Bridge Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the others are the Eko and Carter bridges. It was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge located in Cairo was complet ...

, to the

Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge The Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, is a 1.36 km (0.84 mile) cable-stayed bridge in Lagos State. It links the Phase 1 area of Lekki, with Ikoyi district of Lagos. The bridge was commissioned on 29 May 2013 by the Governor of Lagos State, Babatu ...

and finishes at

Eko Atlantic Eko Atlantic, officially Nigeria International Commerce city, also known as Eko Atlantic City, or the initials E.A.C. and E.A., is a planned city of Lagos State, Nigeria, being constructed on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. Upon completion ...

2016

Over 20,000 athletes competed on 6 February 2016 event which was sponsored by Access Bank. The marathon course record was held by a Kenyan national, Abraham Kiptum who completed the race in 2 hours, 16 minutes and 21 seconds. The fastest woman was an Ethiopian national Halima Hussein Kayo, who ran a time of 2 hours, 38 minutes and 36 seconds.

2017

Kenyan national Abraham Kiptum defended his title, finishing the race in 2 hours 15 minutes 20 seconds while his female compatriot Rodah Jepkori Tanuyi emerged as the first-place winner in the women's category.

2018

In the event of 10 February 2018; French-Kenyan national

Abraham Kiprotich Abraham Kiprotich (born 17 August 1985) is a Kenyan-French long-distance runner. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's marathon but did not finish. Born in Kenya's Nandi County, when Kiprotich was just two years old his older br ...

finished the race while setting a new record time of 2:13:04 hours in the men's category while Ethiopian national Alemenesh Herpha Guta came first in the women's category. A 10 km Family Race starting at Lekki Roundabout to Eko Atlantic was introduced in the 2018 edition to encourage participation from non professional runners for fitness, fun and health purposes.

2019

Out of about 100, 000 competitors in the 2019 edition which held on Saturday, 2 February, Ethiopian national, Sintayehu Legese won the race in a finishing time of 2 hours 17 minutes 28 seconds in the men's category. His female compatriot Dinke Meserete finished first in the women's category.

2020

The 42 km race commenced from National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos and ended at Eko Atlantic, Lagos. Both male and female 42 km runners competed for the grand prize of $50,000 while the second and third-place winners $40,000 and $30,000 respectively. The race ended with Kenyan Olympian David Barmasai winning with a course record of 2:10:00 (Unofficial) who went home with a whopping $70,000, and another Kenyan

Sharon Cherop Sharon Jemutai Cherop (born 16 March 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won a bronze medal at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres at the World Junior Championships. She was the bronze medal winne ...

was the first female to touch the finish line.

Winners

Key:

2020 Edition

Closing gala at the Lagos Marathon 2020.jpeg Closing gala at the Lagos Marathon 2020 11 07 06 231000.jpeg Closing gala at the Lagos Marathon 2020 11 06 07 672000.jpeg Closing gala at the Lagos Marathon 2020 11 06 31 380000.jpeg Closing gala at the Lagos Marathon 2020 11 06 01 717000.jpeg Davido performing at the Lagos city Marathon gala 2020 10 27 10 919000.jpeg

References

External links

{{Lagos, state=collapsed Marathons in Nigeria Annual events in Lagos Annual sporting events in Nigeria Recurring sporting events established in 1983 1983 establishments in Nigeria International sports competitions in Lagos