With just one week to the Bet9ja Lagos Women Run 2018, a total of 10,000 runners from across Lagos State and its environs have registered for the competition, the organisers said on Tuesday.

The third edition of the Women Run is expected to hold on Nov. 10 from 7.00 a.m. and will kick off from the Balewa Square, Lagos Island and finish at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

The race, a distance of 10km cutting across 15 historical monuments in Lagos, is sponsored by Bet9ja.

The Coordinator of the Run, Tayo Popoola, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the majority of the registered runners are from the Lagos Island, Lekki and Ajah axis of the state.

He said the registration was an improvement over last year’s edition where majority of the runners were from Ikorodu.

She noted that the largest registrations were done online through the Lagos Women Run official website.

“The number of registration received physically at the Secretariat of the LWR at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, though not up to that received online, were also quite substantial which represents a vast improvement on what obtained in 2017 edition.

“The good thing about this year’s registration is that we have one week to go and more women are indicating interest to compete in both the Open and Veteran categories.

“To avoid an upsurge since it’s just a 10km marathon race, we have decided to close registration on Oct. 31 to enable us effectively manage the number we have.

“There will be an ‘Expo’ to talk to the runners on the essence of marathon race, healthy living and the importance of the run for young and middle aged women. The Expo will be unveiled on Nov. 7,’’ he said.

Popoola said the distribution of runners’ kits for those who registered physically would take place at the Expo on Nov.8 while those who registered online will get their kits from Nov. 8 to Nov. 9, 2018.

“The Lagos Women Run is the first and only marathon race for women in Nigeria. The Run is for the emancipation of women folks across the country through sports.

“This will also protect them against any form of discrimination, dehumanisation and poor health.

“The Run is for adult women from all walks of life from ages 18 to 45 for the Open category and Veteran category from ages 46 to 70 years.

“The Open category champion will take home N500, 000, while Veteran champion takes home N300, 000. For the two categories, there are cash prizes for second to tenth positions,’’ he said. (NAN)

– Oct. 30, 2018 @ 16:39 GMT |