In their quest to make the race more fun, organizers of the Asante Akyem Marathon will from 2020, revert to the maiden 21km instead of the 42km that runners have had to deal with in the previous two editions.

They have also announced the  expansion of  the awards to participants, covering the 1st - 10th best performers in both the men and women categories.

The new changes follow steps to make the annual Easter Monday event more attractive to unearth more talents.

The Marathon, which is put together by sports marketing and promotion firm SportsLife, will be held in Agogo in the Ashanti Region on the 13th of April 2020 (Easter Monday) as part of the Easter celebrations.

The fourth edition of the event will see athletes  race against each other over a distance of 21km starting from Akutuase to Agogo- just as the maiden edition.

Although the previous two editions have seen participants run over a 42km distance, the organizers say it is necessary to revert to the half marathon as they seek to make the race better.

"In our quest to make it better,
for the first time, apart from the usual sponsorship of a foreign race for the winner, there’s going to be cash prices from the 1st - 10th in both men and women categories", Hon Kwodwo Baah-Agyeman, Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority told Ghanaguardian in an interview.

On why the race is being reversed to 21km, the former member of Parliament for the Asante Akyem North constituency said: "From feedback the runners say it’s tough and has become a deterrent to athletes".

"And the shorter the race is it’s becomes more fun", he added.

The Asante Akyem Marathon is
spearheaded by Mr Kwadwo Baah Agyemang, Board Chairman for the National Sports Authority (NSA) and a former Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North Constituency and SportsLife, a sports promotion, marketing and event management.

The event is in partnership with the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), National Sports Authority (NSA), the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Then 17-year-old William Amponsah emerged winner of the maiden edition and as part of his prize participated in the 2018 Dubai Marathon.

The last three editions of the marathon that seeks to provide a platform for the unearthing and nurturing of talented long distance runners has enjoyed incredible patronage with athletes from all parts of the country.