Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race
Encyclopedia
The Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race is an annual 11.25 km mountain running competition that takes place in late November in Obudu
, Cross River State
, Nigeria
. First held in 2005, it has the largest total prize-money available of any mountain race and is known as "the world's richest mountain race". The men's and women's competition winners receive US$50,000 each, and there is a total prize pot of around $250,000.
The combination of the distance of the race and the rewards on offer means that it attracts world-class road running
athletes as well as mountain running athletes. It is an associate member race of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) and is also endorsed by the International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF).
The race was created under the patronage of Donald Duke
, the former Governor of Cross River State, who devised it as a means of raising awareness of Obudu Cattle Ranch
– a tourist resort. The course begins at a height of 800 m above sea level, and as it traces a path towards the summit of Mount Obudu it climbs a further 800 m, with the finishing point of the race being a total 1600 m above sea level.
The inaugural edition in 2005, the first ever professional mountain running race to be held in the country, mainly comprised Nigerian runners and a select group of invited professional mountain runners. The following two editions saw prominent mountain runners mix with established road runners for the first time: Stockholm Marathon
winner Rita Jeptoo
took the women's 2007 title. The women's race at the 2008 edition demonstrated the advantages of mountain running experience as Mestawet Tufa
, that year's World Cross Country
silver medallist, built up a large lead but struggled with the incline near the finish. She was overtaken by Mountain Running World Champion Andrea Mayr
, who set a new course record, while Tufa collapsed and failed to finish just 50 m from the line.
For the 2009 race, WMRA president Danny Hughes and Liyel Imoke
(the new Cross River State governor) decided to inaugurate the first men's African Mountain Running Championships as part of the Obudu Mountain race. Habtamu Fikadu
was elected as the first African Mountain Running champion, Geoffrey Kusuro took silver and Abebe Dinkesa won bronze. In the team competition, Ethiopia won while Uganda and hosts Nigeria won the minor medals.
Obudu
Obudu is a Local Government Area in Cross River State, Nigeria, a hotspot in Nigeria's tourism.The area features a tourist resort, the Obudu Cattle Ranch, which also hosts an annual race in the hilly surroundings – the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race.The town of Obudu is downstream from the...
, Cross River State
Cross River State
Cross River State is a coastal state in southeastern Nigeria, bordering Cameroon to the east. Its capital is at Calabar, and it is named for the Cross River , which passes through the state...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. First held in 2005, it has the largest total prize-money available of any mountain race and is known as "the world's richest mountain race". The men's and women's competition winners receive US$50,000 each, and there is a total prize pot of around $250,000.
The combination of the distance of the race and the rewards on offer means that it attracts world-class road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
athletes as well as mountain running athletes. It is an associate member race of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) and is also endorsed by the International Association of Athletics Federations
International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
(IAAF).
The race was created under the patronage of Donald Duke
Donald Duke
Donald Duke was the Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He received LLB degree in 1982 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria - Nigeria, the B.L in 1983 from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and the L.L.M...
, the former Governor of Cross River State, who devised it as a means of raising awareness of Obudu Cattle Ranch
Obudu Cattle Ranch
Obudu Cattle Ranch is a ranch on the Obudu Plateau.It was developed in 1951 by Mr. McCaughley, a Scot who first explored the mountain ranges in 1949.He camped on the mountaintop of the Oshie Ridge on the Sankwala Mountains for a month before returning with Mr...
– a tourist resort. The course begins at a height of 800 m above sea level, and as it traces a path towards the summit of Mount Obudu it climbs a further 800 m, with the finishing point of the race being a total 1600 m above sea level.
Stockholm Marathon
The Stockholm Marathon, known as the ASICS Stockholm Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon arranged in Stockholm, Sweden since 1979. It serves as the Swedish marathon championship race...
winner Rita Jeptoo
Rita Jeptoo
Rita Jeptoo Sitienei is a Kenyan marathon runner. She won the 2006 Boston Marathon, setting her personal best of 2:23:38 hours. She has also won marathons in Stockholm and Milan, as well as having represented Kenya in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics...
took the women's 2007 title. The women's race at the 2008 edition demonstrated the advantages of mountain running experience as Mestawet Tufa
Mestawet Tufa
Mestawet Tufa is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She was the winner of the women's 10,000 metres at the 2007 All-Africa Games and the runner up in the senior women's race at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships.She competed at the Olympic Games, but did not finish her 10,000 metres...
, that year's World Cross Country
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
silver medallist, built up a large lead but struggled with the incline near the finish. She was overtaken by Mountain Running World Champion Andrea Mayr
Andrea Mayr
Andrea Mayr is a female long-distance runner from Austria. She also competes in mountain running and cycling. She set her personal best in the women's marathon on April 19, 2009, winning the Vienna City Marathon...
, who set a new course record, while Tufa collapsed and failed to finish just 50 m from the line.
For the 2009 race, WMRA president Danny Hughes and Liyel Imoke
Liyel Imoke
Liyel was elected governor of Cross River State in Nigeria in April 2007, taking office on 29 May 2007. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party .-Background:...
(the new Cross River State governor) decided to inaugurate the first men's African Mountain Running Championships as part of the Obudu Mountain race. Habtamu Fikadu
Habtamu Fikadu
Habtamu Fikadu is an Ethiopian runner. He won the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 2005 African Junior Athletics Championships....
was elected as the first African Mountain Running champion, Geoffrey Kusuro took silver and Abebe Dinkesa won bronze. In the team competition, Ethiopia won while Uganda and hosts Nigeria won the minor medals.
Past senior race winners
Key:| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2005 | 48:44 | 55:46 | ||
| 2nd | 2006 | 42:26 | 53:26 | ||
| 3rd | 2007 | 42:50 | 51:42 | ||
| 4th | 2008 | 41:45 | 51:14 | ||
| 5th | 2009 | 42:03 | 49:12 | ||
| 6th | 2010 | 42:21 | 48:57 | ||
| 7th | 2011 | 41:50 | 48:45 |
External links
- Official website
- 2009 race report from IAAF