Organisers of the annual Okpekpe International 10km road race have started a 30-day countdown to the start of the World Athletics’ gold label road race on May 25.
They disclosed that programmes have been to mark the 10th edition of the Okpekpe race which is still the first road race to be internationally recognised in West Africa.
Media Director for the race, Dare Esan assured that world-class athletes will turn up for this year’s which will take place on Saturday, May 25 in Okpekpe, Edo State.
The Okpekpe race appears in the World Athletics’ gold-label road running events for 2024 with Kenya’s Daniel Simiu Ebenyo winning the 2023 edition by setting a new course record of 28 minutes, 28 seconds.
Esan said: “We are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the race that opened the door to others in Nigeria to get World Athletics recognition.
“We are also optmistic that the race will produce its first sub-28 minutes runner as we have confirmed Daniel Ebenyo, the defending men’s 10km race winner and World Athletics Championships and World Road Running Championships silver medalist for the event.
“Ebenyo set a new 28:28 course record last year and the certainly much improved 28-year-old is coming back to become not only the first man to successfully defend an Okpekpe race but also the first to run sub-28 minutes over the distance.”
As part of the plans for a successful event, students from the Edo State University in Uzaire and the Auchi Polytechnic in Auchi will be selected as volunteers.
