Chris Ojo, one of the organisers of 10km Owan Marathon has announced that the 5th Edition of the annual race will hold on Jan.3, with the aim to promote tourism.

Ojo made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday and said that the event would feature athletes from Edo, Nigeria and beyond.

He said that the annual marathon race had been put together in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to ensure world-class standard.

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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 making the announcement of the date for the race ahead of time was to ensure better planning and coordination.

He said that the 10km annual Owan marathon race was seeking to promote three main pillars – tourism, economic growth, and international recognition.

According to him, this is the 5th edition of the race, and you must know that as the year 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 that 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.