Godwin Adukpo of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service on Saturday retained his title as the reigning Accra Milo Marathon champion in dramatic fashion after fighting off a stiff challenge from veteran and event record holder, David Zigah.

The 22-year-old Adukpo completed the almost 42.2km race in 2:32:57 hours with Zigah following up two minutes later at 2:34:47 and Emmanuel Essuman, who finished third, coming in at 2:39:36.

The winner’s time was short of his last year’s performance and although it left Zigah’s record time of 2:25 hours in no danger, the race was fascinating in many respects. Read about the 2008 race.

Zigah had built up what appeared an unassailable lead after breaking away with Essuman at Teshie, and from the 37 Military Hospital, he led the race all alone till about 5 kilometers to the finish when Adukpo emerged in the distance pounding the ground but with a faint hope of catching up.

He told Myjoyonline.com that at a stage in the race, he almost gave up hope seeing how much ground there was between him and the leader. “It was at Adabraka, I could see the road far ahead of me but he was gone, so I said I had to give up. But I know my strength and from the way he started with power in this hot sun, I said he would get tired so I have to keep going. He would have won the race if he was not tired.”

And tired Zigah was indeed, for after breaking away from Essuman at the Burma Camp junction, he was always looking back to see if any challenger was gaining on him, and from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Korle Bu, Zongo Junction and Kaneshie, he was wincing badly.

Then he began climbing the Kenshie First Light hill leading into Dansoman slowly and without much strength, but goaded on by cheerleaders on bicycles, he pushed himself forward, even if painfully. At this point he appeared to hear too loudly the noise in the background, and he constantly looked back.

The final battle

	Godwin Adukpo lifts high the 2009 prize trophy, while David Zigah, left and Emmanuel Essuman bear their prizes on the honours stand, cheered by Deputy Minister for Sports, Nii Nortey Duah and the MD of Nestle Ghana Limited, Mr Samer Chadid.

The noise was coming from people cheering Adukpo who was at the foot of the hill, pounding up at his immediate target, who was clearly in sight. Zigah had plodded his way up the hill, but he still had some 5 kilometers to go. Then came the bust-up; at Dansoman Akoko Foto, Adukpo caught up with Zigah, but with the latter’s waning strength, he tried to give himself another push. He failed, for Adukpo wouldn’t give up, and soon was in front.

Now Adukpo would pull away, and with Zigah’s strides dropping at acute angles, a mass of bicycles and police motorcades and vehicles took up the space that had begun to build between the two until Zigah slipped completely out of sight.

Adukpo then powered his way to the finishing line and the cash prize of GH¢3,000 and a glittering silver cup plus products from Nestle Ghana Limited as hundreds cheered him.

Zigah and Essuman took home GH¢2,000 and GH¢1,000 respectively plus Nestle products.

27-year-old Millicent Boadi, the Ghana National Fire Service, as usual won the women’s race at 3:01:33 hours, followed by Gifty Abbey of Prisons Service at 3:17:46 hours and Elizabeth Batsor.

Also in the race to champion his ‘Keep the City Clean’ cause was hip-life musician Kwaw Kesse, who joined the athletes at the starting point and ran a considerable distance through Nungua and Teshie before completing the rest of the marathon alternating between his legs and ‘cooling off’ rides in his car.


Story by Isaac Yeboah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana