OKPEKPE ROAD RACE MOC BEGINS FINAL COUNTDOWN

…Storms Okpekpe for pre-race checks

The main organising committee for the 3rd Okpekpe 10km road race has begun the final countdown for the IAAF bronze label race scheduled to hold in Okpekpe near Auchi in Edo state on the 16th of next month.

Disclosing this to the media on Monday, former Nigeria track and field international and two time IAAF World championships long jump finalist (1983 & 1987) revealed that the MOC will converge on Benin on Friday before leaving for Okpekpe.

‘The final countdown is here and the MOC led by Dan Ngerem (former president of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN) will meet in Benin on Friday before leaving for Okpekpe to physically inspect the race course as well as the security,accommodation and other arrangements that bother on the technical organisation of the race,’said Ali.

‘The MOC will also check on the media arrangements for the event.The race this year will be different from the first two editions because it is now an IAAF bronze label race. This means it is one of the less than 100 races the IAAF has designated as one of the leading road races around the world in 2015.

‘This is a great honour to Nigeria and the MOC is determined to ensure it is organised in strict adherence to IAAF rules.We have successfully completed the first hurdle which bothers on the invitation of athletes classified under the international elite field. The guidelines for this requires at least four nations to be represented by runners with times faster than the IAAF’s guidelines.

‘We have secured two of the three fastest runners in the world so far this year in Kenya’s Amos Kiplimo Mitei who holds the second fastest time (27:58) over the 10km distance so far this year and is one of only two athletes to have run inside 28 minutes this year as well as Ethiopia’s Dawi Fikadu whose 28.04 minutes return is the third fastest time this year,’said Ali,also a former technical committee chairman of the AFN.

Ali is confident of a successful organisation of this year’s race and the support received from the Edo state government as well as the the various sponsors have been the driving force behind the successes recorded so far.

‘We are indeed very grateful to his excellency, the executive governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for his solid support. His decision to participate in the first two editions of the race has added great value to the race,’he added and specially thanked Mike Itemuagbor,whose company, Pamodzi sports marketting owns the race for ensuring Okpekpe has not only become a household name in Nigeria and is now recognised on the map of the world but also made the whole world know that Nigeria is not only about the activities of Boko Haram.

Ngerem To Head Okpekpe Race Organising Committee

Former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Dan Ngerem has been appointed the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Okpekpe 10 km Road race slated for May I6 in Okpekpe, Edo State.

The decision to make him the organising committee chairman was informed by his pedigree when he was the AFN boss and the relationship with the top hierarchy at IAAF and it is expected that his appointment would boost the rising profile of the race.

Okpekpe now a label race, Ngerem is expected to apply the rules to the letter without fear or favour.

Meanwhile, former Nigeria long jump champion and reigning record holder, Yusuf Ali has revealed a world class cast of elite athletes for next month’s 3rd Okpekpe 10km road race in Okpekpe, Auchi, Edo state.

Ali says they (organizers of the race) have been able to get athletes who have been in top form since the start of the year and believes a new course record will likely be witnessed come May 16 when the event holds in Okpekpe.

‘I am thrilled that we have been able to secure two of the fastest three men in the world over 10km this year. We have Amos Kiplimo Mitel of Kenya who ran a new personal best of 27.58 minutes early this month in Paderborn, Germany. That is the second fastest time in the world so far this year. He is only bettered by Germany’s Homiyu Tesfaye who ran four seconds faster (27:54) to win the race in Paderborn,’said a delighted Ali who also revealed the capture,as it were of Dawi Fikadu of Ethiopia.

‘Fikadu holds the third fastest time in the world so far this year at 28.04 minutes and both times (Mitel and Fikadu’s) are better than the 28.26 minutes Okpekpe course record set last year by Ethiopia’s Teshome Asafan,’he said and revealed why organizers of the event have to get the best legs to compete in the race.

‘Like you know,the Okpekpe 10km road race is an IAAF Bronze Label race which must have an international elite field,’he said adding that the IAAF requires a minimum of five men and five women participating in the competition.

‘Since our own is a bronze label race, the minimum number of nationalities participating is four.’ Ali, he also revealed that the Okpekpe 10km course which starts from Apama Road and ends in Okpekpe will be closed to vehicular traffic with the exclusion of official vehicles, for the duration of the event until the published cut-off time.

‘The Start will be traffic free until the last runner has started and the Finish will be traffic free until the last runner finishes or the cut-off time is reached,’he said and assured that all the IAAF rules guiding the organisation of the race will be strictly adhered to.