The much anticipated first-ever and major marathon to hit the Western Region dubbed, “Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon” has been held with unprecedented records set by participants amidst rousing reception by the residents in the Twin-City of Sekondi-Takoradi.
The 21-kilometer race which was conducted through the principal streets of Sekondi-Takoradi beginning from the Essipon Sports Stadium and ending at the Cape Coast Station area was part of the 2020 Ankos Festival popularly known as “Tadi Bronya”.
The event which is an initiative of Medivents Consult and Total Marketing and Tours Limited in partnership with the Western Region Coordinating Council (WRCC) was intended to promote youth and sports development in the region as well as tourism.
The Marathon saw over 300 athletes battling for the juicy packages placed at stake with refreshment provided by the Cowbell Brands.
Participants who placed 4th to 7th for both male and female were each given hampers and souvenirs from sponsors and a cash prize, while the first runner-up and second runner-up received souvenirs from sponsors and a cash prize of GHS 5,000 and 3,000 respectively with the winner taking home souvenirs from sponsors and a cash prize of GHS 10,000 for both sexes.
At the end of the race, William Amponsah completed first with the record of 1:02:51 followed by Afaylar Samuel (1:06:47), Ishmael Arthur (1:08:40), Samuel Sakyi (1:08:52) and Basit Afful (1:08:55) for the first five male athletes.
For the first five female athletes, Belinda Segbor came first with a record of 1:26:26 followed by Sherrifa Moro with 1:27:56, Babulweri Felicia (1:30:12), Angaamchaa Mercy (1:32:36) and Amanda Kotambe (1:34:19).
Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Regional Minister was elated with the success of the event and said that they were looking forward to promoting sports tourism in the region.
“We are grateful for partnering the Sekondi-Marathon and it is not only important to connect communities commercially but also socially especially through sports and for that matter, we want to use this opportunity to promote sports in the region”, he added.
Dr. Dominic Eduah, Executive Secretary of the GNPC Foundation, main sponsors of the event expressed the readiness of his outfit to partner the organisers to maintain the event.
He lauded the organisers for the initiative and called for deeper collaboration among all stakeholders and organisers of other events saying, “It was good you added a marathon to the list of activities for this year’s event and we are happy to support it this way for the success of the event”.
He gave the assurance of his outfit in adding participants who were in the tertiary institutions to the Foundation’s scholarship scheme to make sure they combine education to their talents and to further improve the quality of life for them.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
