Ghana Joins Obudu Mountain Race

Ghana has become the latest country to confirm participation in next weekend’s Obudu International Mountain Race and the African Nations Mountain Running Championship.

The West African nation will be making her debut at the championship, which holds on Saturday November 27 at the Obudu Ranch Resort in Obudu, Cross River State.

Athletics Federation of Nigeria secretary-general, Maria Worphil, revealed yesterday in Abuja that the Ghanaians have sent in their entries and will storm Nigeria next week for the event, which has become an important race in the calendar of the World Mountain Running Association.

“The Ghanaians have sent in their entries for the Africa Nations Championships and we are delighted that we are having a fellow English-speaking West-African nation in the race. Last year, only Nigeria and Cameroun represented the sub-region with the East Africans dominating with three (Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia) while the North Africans have only one – Egypt,” revealed Worphil, a former national handball star fondly called Maria in the athletics circle.

Maria also revealed that Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia have already confirmed their participation while another potential newcomer, Botswana is also interested in participating.

Registration has already closed for the individual Obudu international mountain race, which is in its sixth edition and a total of 200 athletes have been confirmed for the race with $50,000 as the main prize for winners in the male and female categories.

The Obudu international mountain race is still the highest paying mountain race in the world. The total prize money for this year’s edition has been increased from $245,500 to $278,000 due to the addition of the African Nations Championship for women. The prize money for the first to the 10ths position for this year’s race, however, remain the same with the winners in each gender category going home with $50,000 each while $20,000 and $9,000 respectively will go to the second and third placed finishers.The prizes for 4th -10th placed finishers in each category also remain at $4,500, $4,000, $3,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.