LAHORE, Pakistan, 20 January 2005 — Pakistan is ready for its first ever international marathon on Jan. 30, with over 2,000 competitors including leading athletes from 20 countries expected to run, officials said yesterday.
“It will be a historic event and we want to make it an annual feature, so that one day Pakistan can produce a winner in the Olympic marathon,” said Ghouse Akbar, chairman of the Standard Chartered Lahore Marathon organizing committee. The race has attracted leading athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Russia, Portugal, Sweden, Ukraine, Portugal, Denmark, Britain, Zimbabwe, Bulgaria, India and South Korea.
“Male and female athletes from some other countries are also entering the event, which will feature the main 42-kilometer (26-mile) marathon and two separate races of 10 and six kilometers,” said Ghouse. The Kenyan athletes include Sammy Ngeno, Francis Kamaui, Benson Limo, Benson Ogato and David Kiptanui, who will compete for total prize money of $100,000.
The male and female winners will each pocket $10,000, while the top ten finishers will also get prizes.
The marathon is recognized and supported by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS). Its chief Ian Ladbrooke is the director of the Lahore marathon, while India’s Rupinder Singh, who recently coordinated the Bombay marathon, is his assistant. The marathon will start and finish at the Gaddafi cricket stadium.
The Indian competitors include veterans Ashish Roy and Fauja Singh. Roy, 72, has run more than 90 marathons while Singh, 94, is based in England and is a regular runner at international level. Among the local competitors is disabled 29-year-old Sarmad Tariq.
Among the female athletes, Pakistan’s Shazia Hidayat became the second woman from her country to compete in the Olympics when she ran in the 1,500 meters at Sydney in 2000.
