By Elizabeth ADENUGA
A South African runner, Cindy Nkomo, has said that she was in Nigeria to participate in the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon for fun and not for competitive reason.
Nkomo made the revelation on the sidelines of the world news conference at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikeja, to herald the iconic 42-kilometer race.
“This is my first time in Nigeria as a runner because I have been here before. I am happy to be here to participate in the 2019 edition of the race.
“Right there in South Africa, we have a lot or marathons I have participated in and I have been to some international marathons as well.
“I am in Nigeria with an open mind to gain one or two experiences because I have watched the previous editions, for this, I am honoured to be part of it.
“It will be a great experience to run alongside 120,000 people; it will be an amazing experience for me, however I will be running for the fun of it tomorrow,’’ she said.
Nkomo said that participating in the race would afford her the opportunity to assess herself and also give back to her country South Africa for giving her the opportunity.
“I am not in this race for the competitive motive, it is not everybody here coming for that, it will just be for the fun of it.
“I want to concentrate on improving myself; I want to write about the beautiful city of Lagos and the beautiful things I have experienced during the race.
“I want to give back to South Africa that gave me the opportunity. I have also been to the Third Mainland Bridge marked for the race, it is beautiful.——NAN
