Isaac Matthew from Kaduna State and Elizabeth Nuhu from the Nigerian Custom Service, Abuja have emerged overall winners of the inaugural Tito Makurdi Marathon Road Race in the male and female categories respectively.
Isaac Matthew came first in 1 hour 41 minutes while Elizabeth Nuhu emerged winner in 1 hour 56 minutes.
Orduhga Gudu and Jimi James won the second and third positions respectively in the male category while Shimineger Agbe and Sandra Iorhembe from Benue State won the second and third positions respectively in the female category.
The Tito Makurdi Marathon Road Race, which was organised by the Tito group of companies, attracted participants from Benue, Abuja, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states.
According to Isaac Matthew who won the star prize of ₦50,000:
“This is my first time to be in Benue, Makurdi precisely. Initially I was told that the race was for 21 kilometers, but I ended up running 32 kilometers, which took me close to two hours finish. The course was not easy, especially the finishing point. The starting point was okay, but the finishing point was heavy because of the sun.”
Chairman, Tito Group of Companies and organiser of the Benue Makurdi Marathon Road Race, Chief Isaac Akinkumi explained that he decided to institute the race to promote distance race in the state as a way of encouraging youths to take advantage of the natural landscape of Benue. He encouraged people to engage in all kinds of sports for their physical and mental development and urged parents to show interest in developing their children, not just in the field of academics, but also in sports, so as to get their full potentials.
