The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has submitted an application for an upgrade to become the biggest and highest rated full road race in Africa.
The Technical Director of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Yusuf Ali, who submitted the request at the headquarters of the World Athletics in Monaco, France, said in Benin City, Edo State over the weekend that the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has met all the criteria and confident that the World Athletics would grant the prayers.
Access Bank Lagos City Marathon is seeking to become a Gold Label road race given the calibre and class of the international elite runners and the number of countries that have participated in all editions.
The edition of the marathon is scheduled for 4 February 2023.
If the approval is granted, Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, will become the first full road race in Africa to attain a Gold Label status.
Ali further said that: “The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon was the first on the African continent to attain the Bronze Label status after just two years of its inception.
“The Lagos City Marathon was also the first to have 1,000 runners and the same prize money for male and female winners in a competitive race. And also the first to advance to the Silver Label status in just after four years of competition as Bronze Label. We have the confidence that come 4 February 2023, we would have been upgraded to the Gold Label status.
World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the body (formerly known as International Association of Athletics Federations – IAAF) designates as one of the “leading road races around the world.”
The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of the IAAF Road Running Commission. The races are split into three categories: marathons, half marathons and others. Within the “others” category are traditional road race distances, over which World Athletics world records can be set, along with some “classical races”, which span unusual distances.
The Labels are considered prestigious awards by race organisers, and include the six World Marathon Majors.
