By BellaNaija.com
The serene town of Remo and neighboring towns of Sagamu and Ikenne in southwestern Nigeria hosted the first-ever Ultra Race in Africa sponsored by Nigeria’s newest airline operator, ValueJet.
South African racers, Thobile Mbopkwa and Saneliswe Mbanjwa braced the ribbon in record time, emerging champions of the maiden edition of the ValueJet Ultra Race Championship on Saturday in Ogun State, Nigeria.
The 50 kilometers race tagged ‘Remo 2019’ flagged off at the Gateway Stadium, in Abeokuta, with over 5000 athletes participating in both the 50km Ultra Race and the 5km Fun Run. The South African pair of Mbopkwa and Mbanjwa bagged the $2000 cash prize being the first man and woman to complete the race. Nigeria’s own Iliya Pam claimed overall third runner and also first Nigerian to end the Ultra Race.
At the end of the race, citizens of Remo were treated to the Ultra Race Concert, with musical performances by CDQ and Slimcase, with the curtain call by indigenous rap sensation, Naira Marley. The President of the International Association of Ultra Runners (IAU), Nadir Khan praised all the organizers including title sponsors ValueJet for a job well done.
Speaking with the media after the race, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun said the race coming to Nigeria, and especially to Ogun state is a big plus which should be built on. The Governor who attended the closing ceremony commended the organizers led by Bukola Olopade and the sponsors ValueJet, for putting together an event with global standards.
