Signing up for the November 10th, 2018 Lagos Women Run (2) was one of the most
interesting hurdles I have had to face this year. Long before that fateful day, the race had
already been planned and executed in my mind.
The actual running of the 10km marathon, for me, was not about getting the speed accomplished in record time. It was really about going at a consistent pace and being able to endure without any breaks, from the starting line to the 5km first half mileage. If I had entered as a tourist, I would have taken out time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the historical landmarks that marked out the run route from the start point to the finish line.
The female marathoners had converged from 5:30 a.m for the 6:30 a.m commencement at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos Bus Terminal. As the run kicked off, the marathoners ran all the way through Broad Street down to Apongbon and up the Eko Bridge, probably unaware of how calm the streets were, except for the cheers and occasional taunts, from the many spectators who lined up by the roadside to watch.
From Eko Bridge, the run route spiralled downwards at the Ijora Olopa interchange through Entrance A into the National Theatre at Iganmu where marathoners who had made it thus far were given the pink hand bands for enduring up to 3.2 miles run.
The remaining half of the race was done through the Costain exit from the National Theatre into Funsho Williams Avenue (formerly Western Avenue), passing through Alaka and the National Stadium all the way to the finish line at the Teslim Elias Balogun Stadium where cheerleaders from Queen’s College Lagos gave their resounding support to the brave women who had survived to the end of the race.
As I joined other marathoners dancing on the stage, I realized that I would definitely be signing up for more marathons in future. But next time, I would be training to gain speed for more mileage in record time.
By Bridget Uko
