Winners Emerge At 2020 Lagos Women Run [PHOTOS]

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

Patience Dalyon, from Plateau State, has emerged the winner of the Y2020 Lagos Women Run, tagged ‘Run Anywhere, Everywhere’, while Awawu Haruna and Abiye David came in as first and second runners-up respectively.

Dalyon, who was rewarded with a cash prize of N1m, breasted the tape at 33 mins 43.73 secs; the first runner- up Awawu Haruna who got to the Finish Line at 34 mins 02. 24 secs received ₦500,000, while Abiye David, the second runner-up who clocked the tape at 34 mins 16.39 secs went home with ₦300,00.

Speaking on the event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Segun Dawodu said that the rationale behind the yearly sporting event is beyond the cash prize attached to the marathon race.

According to him, the annual race seeks to promote the culture of healthy women, provide a platform for social interaction, fun and to also discover athletes who can represent the State at national and international levels.

Read also: Lagos NUJ Constitutes Caretaker Committee Following Botched Elections

While presenting the cheque for a cash prize of ₦1m to Dalyon for winning the 2020 edition of the marathon, Dawodu said that the 10 kilometer race holding after several months of ban on sporting activities in the State, proves that Lagos, like some other countries, can now hold sporting activities amidst strict observance of all COVID-19 safety protocols.

He said, “We know that things are not fully back to normal yet but we still need to keep fit and that’s why we are encouraging our women with this marathon. It’s very good for our wellness, wellbeing and state of mind considering the spate of unpleasant incidents that have occurred since the beginning of 2020 globally”.

He expressed the hope that if more time is dedicated to the training of Nigerian athletes in endurance and high altitude, Nigerians would in no distant time be able to compete favourable with athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia and other countries that have a natural endowment of high altitude.

The Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku, who presented cash prizes to the veteran category winners, expressed satisfaction with the pace of improvement in the annual event, particularly the finish time of the winner, the first place runner-up and the second place runner-up respectively.

He recalled that the Lagos Women Run started about five years ago and the idea by the initiators was to create a culture of long distance runners, saying that the culture is now gaining ground with the involvement of elderly women participating in the race.

The veteran category of the race was won by a Lagos State athlete, Anna Seriki, after crossing the finish line at 45 mins 47.11 secs, Ladi Henry (Plateau) ran 46 mins 16.90 secs to emerge second, while Kareem Bolanle finished third in 46 mins 40.74 secs. The veteran category winners got ₦300,000, ₦200,000 and ₦100,000 respectively.