Indigenous athletes in Cross River State, southern Nigeria, will have a dedicated opportunity to win cash prizes at the 2026 Calabar Marathon, as the organisers introduce a new incentive to encourage local participation and nurture home-grown talent.
The initiative guarantees ₦500,000 each for the first male and female indigenous finishers, ₦300,000 each for those who place second and ₦200,000 each for the third-place finishers.
The Project Manager of the Calabar Marathon, Charles Ada, disclosed this during a presentation on the race framework, categories and technical details at a media briefing in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
Ada explained, “the decision is due to concerns raised that athletes from outside Cross River State dominated previous editions, leaving local competitors with fewer opportunities for recognition and financial rewards.”
He further explained, “Calabar Marathon would continue to be a platform for young runners from Bakassi and Obanliku to receive the exposure to experienced competitors from within Nigeria and abroad.”
On the marathon categories, the Project Manager said that the competition would feature three events taking place simultaneously: a 21.1-kilometre professional race, a 10-kilometre fun run and a five-kilometre charity and fitness walk.
According to him, the general national and international categories, the organisers have set “the first-place prize at ₦1.2 million each for the male and female winners; second-place finishers will receive ₦700,000 each, while third-place winners will take home ₦400,000 each.”
Tackling Poverty through Sport
The Managing Director of the Cross River State Tourism Bureau, John Atsu, in his remarks, said that this year’s Calabar Marathon was designed to draw attention to the theme “Run for Conscience Against Poverty.”
Atsu also said that the essence was to encourage communities to collectively tackle the effect of poverty through responsible use of available resources to improve people’s livelihoods.
He said the event would combine sporting competition with efforts to identify emerging athletes and mobilise communities around the fight against poverty.
Atsu said that besides encouraging more local participation, “we intend to make the marathon even better than last year and build from here until we have a truly world-class event that belongs and is retained in Cross River State.
“The race will begin and end at Marina Leisure Resort, following the Carnival Calabar route, which athletics officials have measured at 21.1 kilometres. The resort will also host the presentation of prizes after the competition. The date for the competition is Saturday, October 31st.”
Other stakeholders such as the Commissioner for Tourism, Obi Ayuk, commended the Bureau for maintaining the annual event and pledged the support of the ministry.
Security and Safety Measures
On security to guarantee a successful race, the representative of the Police Commissioner, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Operations, Joshua Adewalehinmi, assured participants and visitors of adequate security throughout the event.
The NAATO State Chairman, Dr Victor Eyam also stated that technical officials were ready to oversee the competition and ensure athletes’ safety, urging the medical team to conduct thorough screening of participants.
Eyam further shared that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria was particularly concerned with the safety of the athletes, pledging technical support to the Bureau.
Although, Saturday, October 31st is for the regular state-wide sanitation exercise, the organisers said that the Ministry of Environment was supporting the Calabar Marathon to host a successful competition.
