300 athletes for Independence Day marathon

If the 420 students of public and private schools in Ikorodu Division of Lagos State who applied to participate in this year’s edition of Oba Kabir Shotobi Independence Day Mini Marathon, sponsored by the Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. SanaiAgunbiade, two hundred and seventy student runners and an addition of about thirty guest athletes, have been cleared by the screening committee to run in the race scheduled to take place in Ikorodu town on Monday, 1st October.

The event, according to Agunbiade, who is also the Opomulero of Ikorodu, is meant to commemorate the annual Independence Day, as well as discover sporting talents in Ikorodu Division. The event was first staged in 2015 and since then has been a yearly competition.

According to the organisers of the race, this year’s event will span about 7.3km. Committee chairman, Akeem Bello, said the screening exercise also helped some students and parents to discover and treat some life-threatening health challenges hitherto unknown to them.

Bello added that the marathon is aimed at creating healthy rivalries among students of private and public schools in Ikorodu division, contributing to the development of sports in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole as well as commemorate Independence Day celebration in the division.

The DG of Team SOB, Kabir Ajalogun, said the 4th edition of the race was unveiled on Tuesday, September 18, 2018, by His  Royal Majesty, Oba Engr. Kabir Adewale Shotobi, the Ayangburen of Ikorodu Kingdom, at his palace to kick start this year’s event.

“For four years now, the Independence Day celebration is marked in Ikorodu with the Oba Shotobi Independence Day Mini Marathon. The people have come to know and appreciate the race as the main event of the day in our division. Apart from the runners, people come from far and near to watch the marathoners as they run through major areas of our towns.

“Seventy athletes took part in the race when we started in 2015, but of the four hundred and twenty applicants that were screened medically by medical personnel from Lagos State Sports Commission this year, two hundred and seventy athletes will be taking part in the competition.

“This is an indication that the competition is waxing stronger by the year. Also, past winners, like Olayinka Boluwatife who won bronze in Ibile Games, are being groomed to reach great heights in sports.”

Oba Sotobi will light the torch of the race and hand it over to a team of past winners who will run all the way through the route to the finishing line at Igbogbo road police barracks.