The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has begun its journey to joining the global elite marathons as world-renowned marathon measurer, Norrie Williamson arrived Lagos on Monday to begin the certification and calibration of the route.
The exercise which begins on Tuesday will stretch until the end of the week.
In a statement signed by the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon Head of Communications and Media, Olukayode Thomas, said the decision by the IAAF and AIMS to send Williamson, a former long-distance athlete underscores the importance both organisations attach to Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.
Measurer of the course some of the biggest and the best marathon routes in the world, Williamson has also measured the course of three Olympic Marathons.
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A great runner who authored many books on running including Everyone’s Guide to Distance Running and Every Beginner’s Guide to Walking, Jogging & Running.
His athletic feats include finishing the gruelling 56-mile Comrades marathon, more than 100 ultra events, including 30 or 100 miles of longer.
Williamson set a record for the longest distance run on a treadmill in 24 hours (more than 161 kilometres).
He has 20 Comrades medals and represented Great Britain, Scotland and South Africa in athletics, he did his first bungee and parachute jumps at age 59.
Williamson ran his first marathon in March 1981 at the Savages Marathon; the following year he ran his first 100-miler as well as the first of his 10 Two Oceans ultras, all of which produced sub-4:00 and silver medals.
Another notable achievement of Williamson was in 1983 when he returned a 2:42 in the London Marathon and then post a 2:45 the very next day in the Boston Marathon. “I had to finish London in sub-three to make my flight to New York to get to Boston!”
In 1985 Williamson became an accredited IAAF/AIMS course measurer, in 1986 he started writing columns for the newspapers and athletics programs on television.
General Manager Access Bank Lagos City Marathon Yussuf Alli is delighted that IAAF and AIMS have sent Williamson to do the certification and calibration of our route, “when a high profile measurer is sent to certify and calibrate your route that means your race is highly respected. Because of our route, which not hilly, we are a potential host of IAAF World Challenge, this is a good development for Access Bank Lagos City Marathon”. Said Alli.
