The organisers of the 10km Owan marathon have announced January 3, 2026, as the date for the 5th edition of the annual race featuring athletes within and outside Edo, Nigeria and beyond.
Chris Ojo made the disclosure in an interview with Journalists in Calabar on Sunday.
He said that the annual marathon race is been put together in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to ensure world-class standards.
He also disclosed plans by the organisers to increase the prize money for the race in response to the current economic realities.
Ojo noted that the plan to announce the date for the race well ahead of time is to ensure better planning and coordination of the annual event.
He said that there are three main pillars the 10km annual Owan marathon race seek to promote; tourism, economic growth, and international recognition.
“This is the 5th edition of the race, and you must know that as the yeats gets by, we try to improve on every aspect of the event.
“As for the coming edition, we seek to improve on every level of organisation because we have plans to welcoming international stars to compete with our own (Nigerians) like every other organised marathon in the country.
“You will recall we started this annual event modestly, and we have gotten to a point where we are looking to effect changes as part of effort to go international.
“Of course, we already have the backing of the state and the AFN, all we are doing now is to improve on the level of organisation to get to that level we are aiming at,” Ojo stated.
Speaking on the prize money, Ojo said, “we are obligatory to do this because of the bitting effect of the economy.
“Everything and all things have kind of doubled in prices, including cost of transportation and other logistics,” he stated.
Ojo explained that the race was first started as a way to discover and groom talents at the local level to global stardom.
He noted that some of the athletes discovered in previous editions of the race have gone ahead to feature in some of the country’s marathon races such as the Lagos and Okpekpe races.
He said other events are being planned for the 5th edition of Owan marathon as part of effort to showcase the rich culture of the people.
According to him, “the 2026 edition will not only increase prize money in response to current economic realities, but will also expand into a cultural and community festival.
“Highlights include the Mr & Miss Owan Contest, (the Owan Cultural Ambassador Contest), and a free medical outreach to provide vital healthcare services to residents.
“The essence of the festival and medical outreach is to showcase the cultural and athletic strength of Owan while giving back through community health initiatives.”
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