Cameron runners have been listed as part of the 250 athletes that would participate in the second edition of the 14-kilometre  Calabar Marathon scheduled for Saturday.

Chairman of the Organising Committee, Ekpenyong Ojoi, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Thursday.

He said the event would feature the best of marathon runners from across the country, who would slug it out with their foreign counterparts.

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Ojoi, who doubles as the Director, Cross River Tourism Bureau, said though only Cameroon had indicated interest to be part of the race as at Tuesday, more were expected before close of entry.

According to him, the marathon is being packaged by the Tourism Bureau in partnership with the Calabar Marathon Foundation.

He said that the State government’s intention had been to make the race “an avenue for youths to exhibit natural talent and divert attention from negative tendencies”.

“The Calabar Marathon is one of the key initiatives endorsed by Governor Bassey Otu as a strategic step to take our youths from the streets.

“You would agree with me that idleness breeds mischief, criminality, drug abuse, cultism, and other vices inimical to the well-being of our youths and the society at large,” he said.

Ojoi said the marathon would take off from the Millenium park and end at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar.