Runathon Ghana Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in sports development, has launched a new initiative dubbed ‘Accra City Marathon’.
The marathon is set to be a first-class running event in the country, and will pave the way for the Foundation’s re-launch after a few years of inactivity.
Speaking during the launch in Accra, president of the Foundation Eric Kwame Adae noted that it is poised to develop sporting talent and attract a global audience.
“We came up with a new route-running event, and we call it the Accra City Marathon. It is billed as Ghana’s premier first-class marathon and is said to rival the very best of marathons all over the world – whether the New York City Marathon, London Marathon, Boston Marathon, Berlin marathon or Tokyo Marathon. We want them to realise we also have something that can really rival what they are doing; and we want this to be a way in which we can showcase the brightest and best talents in Ghana,” he said.
The ‘Accra City Marathon’ is slated for January 13, 2024, and is expected to host about 12,000 participants on the day. To ensure consistency in organising the event, Dr. Adae mentioned that the Foundation will be coming up with various road-running events throughout the year.
“So, coming back, we are going to promote it very well; and we think this is supposed to attract a lot of local but also international runners at the professional level, and recreational runners – people who want to do a run/walk just to keep fit,” he added.
The marathon, according to Dr. Adae, will not just be about running; more importantly, the opportunity will be used for raising funds to support the National Cardiothoracic Centre: adding that raffles will be held, the proceeds of which will also support the centre.
To help participants be part of the competition, the marathon organisers will roll out various channels people can conveniently use to register in September. These channels include a short code, website and agents who will be situated at various vantage points and across all stadia.
