Ethiopia’s Hayla Worku will be leading the team of foreign world-class runners that will compete at the Gold-Label 8th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on February 4th.
Worku, is one of the fastest full marathon runners in the world, having run six World class marathons in less than 2 hours and 9 minutes.
He was crowned 2014 champion at the Houston Marathon where he run 2:07:32. His fastest time of 2:05:25 was at the Berlin Marathon in 2010, where he finished third.
While at Paris Marathon in 2009, he ran a time of 2:06:16 and finished second place.
Another world-class foreign runner ready to burn the route at Gold-Label Marathon is Kenya’s John Komen, a 2019 Athens Marathon winner at a time of 2:16:34.
The 42 years old Komen had recorded better times in past races; 2:07:13 in 2011 when he won the La Rochelle Marathon, 2:08:06 in 2008 at Reims Marathon, 2:08:12 at Paris Marathon, and 2:08:13 when he won the Venezia Marathon in 2009.
Meanwhile, the 2020 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon winner, Kenya’s Barmasai David has a very rich resume and the brightest opportunity to stay on top.
This is due to his familiarity with the Lagos City Marathon route, having won the 2020 race at 2:10:23 and placed second in 2022, at the 7th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon at 2:13:37.
David has a personal best of 2:07:18 when he won the 2011 Dubai Marathon, the same year he placed fifth at the World Marathon Championships.
Report says David is also a winner of the 2010 Kenyan Standard Chartered Marathon where he ran 2:10:31.
In the women’s class, the top leading world-class foreign runners include; Tinbit Gidey, former champion of the Marrakesh Marathon, and Esther Macharia, a former winner of the Graz Marathon and winner of the Bregenz Marathon. She has a personal best of 2:27:15 recorded in 2022 at the Grandma’s Marathon in USA.
Kenya’s Mercy Jerop Kwambai, is yet another world-class runner, with the most recent performances that may change some expectations at the Gold-Label Marathon.
Ms. Jerop in the last two years has been hot in her races across the world; at the Asics Firenze Marathon in 2021, she ran 2:27:32 and placed 3rd. In 2022, at the Sparkasse 3-Lander Marathon, she finished second place at 2:30:15 and 3rd place also at the 2022 Adidas Stockholm Marathon at 2:33:43.
A total of 76 foreign runners were invited by the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management Limited, for the Gold-Label 8th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, made up of 47 men and 29 women world-class runners.
The men’s class include; Julius Tuwei, Japhet Kosgei, Edwin Koech, Kiprotich Kipkoech, Ezekiel Koech, and Cosmas Kiplimo. Others include Francis Cheruiyot, Bernard Sang, and Kibiwot Kipkoech among others.
For the women’s class, we have Jackline Chelai, Naomi Maiyo, Kebene Chala, and Catherine Jerotich.
The foreign Elite athletes are from 22 countries across the world and a total of 50,000 runners in all will be running in the Gold-Label 8th Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on February 4.
