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Marathoner, CLINTON AMARA
Clinton Amara is a marathoner, who has been running since he was young. He is a businessman who has a passion for running. He finished fifth at the 2024 Rivers International Marathon. On January 28, he ran over 50km from Aba to Port Harcourt in honour of Gov. Sim Fubara on his birthday.
A few days back, City People Journalist, BENPRINCE EZEH (08068599879) chatted him up about why he ran 50km from Aba to Port Harcourt. Below are the excerpts from the chat.
What made you run from Aba to Port Harcourt? What inspired you?
I’ve been alone since I was a child—a man doing the housework. I’ve struggled for a long time, when I discovered I have talent in sports, I pushed for it, but I couldn’t. There is no money, there is no support. So along the path, I stopped. So after 7 or 8 years, I got married. The two medals I won in sports when I was little, my wife saw them and she encouraged me to go back, that what I’m doing will not put food on our table, that she does not see a future in it, that I must go back to running. So I listened to her, I had to go back. But I decided to go into the marathon, because before I was doing 400 and 800 meters when I was little. So I decided to go into a marathon because of my age. So along the line, we went for the Rivers State International Marathon and I saw something that I’d never seen in Nigeria before. The Governor of Rivers State, Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, gave away 1,000,000 naira to each first 20 runners, both male and female. That is 40,000,000 in the 42 category, but the one that surprised me, he gave 1,000,000 in the 5 kilometres category. So it was something to applaud him for. So after I got my money, I had to push harder. I took the money to the north to train, because I’ve been in the north before and I know the place, so I trained for some months. When I came back last December, I decided to celebrate his birthday, to tell him thank you, because, without him, I wouldn’t have been able to even run from Rivers State Boundary to Port Harcourt. I wouldn’t have done it. So because of the training I had in the North, it encouraged me, I have to appreciate the governor for the good work that he has done for me. Maybe he didn’t even know he did something good. On my own, I know without the 1,000,000 naira he gave us, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
5 kilometres is not 50 kilometres. We’re talking 10 times as much. And the sort of preparation that you’d have to go through to run 50 kilometres is mind-boggling. You say you went up to the north. What sort of training did you engage in up north?
I was doing 42 kilometres of training. Because of the one we ran in Rivers State, I participated in the 42 kilometres. And that is where I got my 1,000,000 naira. But what I’m saying is the governor also paid us 1,000,000 naira for 5 kilometres. That is what I’m saying, as a consolation prize.
What did you get for what you did at the end of the day?
Is it the marathon I just finished running for the governor?
Yes.
That day was Gov. Fubara’s birthday. He was really busy, but he sent his Commissioners to come out. Commissioners for Sports, Commissioners for Works, Commissioners for Finance, a lot of Commissioners, I don’t know all of them. So after they came out, they appreciated me and they encouraged me. They said the governor would get back to me. But the Commissioner for Sports gave me another 1,000,000 Naira on that day. So not only that, at least Clinton Amara is now well known in Rivers State. The running brought me out in the lights. People know about me, even my landlord called me. They heard about me on the radio. It’s not easy, sir.
Clinton, I must admit your story is very intriguing. Two things that interest me, one, you spoke of, I’d like you to go back to when you were young and what happened, because you said you’ve always been on your own. Then two, I’d love to give a lot of credit and kudos to your madam. Who saw what you’ve done in the past and encouraged you, that’s what a good woman does. God bless her. Let her continue to be a fountain of wisdom and good advice to you. So when you were young, Clinton, what happened to you?
When I was little, I didn’t know the age, but it would be around 8 to 10 years. My mother left me. Our father doesn’t care about us. He only cares about his business. My mother was always hard. I was now struggling in the village to eat and the rest. Somebody took me to serve as a house help. I’ve been in River State since the 1990s because I was small, I don’t know the exact year, but since the 1990s, I’ve been in River State. I served the person for years until I finished secondary school. In secondary school, I discovered I have a running talent. After school, my senior brother deceived me. He said I should go play ball, that there’s no money in running. So I wasted my time playing ball from 2011-2013. Even in the ball, I was doing well, but I was not enjoying it. I wasted time, but when I matured and became older, I decided to make my own choice by going back to running. So I trained for less than one year, that was June 2013. The first marathon I ran in River State; I came second overall. My event was not a marathon, it was 800 and 400. I went for the South South game in Calabar in 2014. I won three medals, one gold, and two bronze. After that, I couldn’t continue, because I was the one paying my house rent, and feeding myself. It was too hard. I decided to stop. I focused on my business, my phone business. In 2019, I got married. When I got married, my wife saw my medals. She didn’t even know the meaning of the medal. God used her to bring me back. She asked me what it was. I said it was a medal. She said medal for what? I said I was doing sports before. Immediately, what came out of her mouth, she said, you must go back. I just laughed over it. I didn’t know she was serious. After one week, she asked, what are you saying about the sport of a thing? I said, Madam, I don old, I no fit go back. She said, no, that the work I’m doing, which is the phone work, will not help me. That she’s not seeing a future with the phone work. That I should go back to my running, that God will use that to catapult me. So I gave it a try. In the 2020 Police Game in Anambra State, I was the first civilian that cross the line. Although I finished fourth overall, I went to the competition, and I won 300,000 naira. So that was the turning point. I decided to push because I’ve seen that there is money in this thing, and the way my wife said, the good result is coming out. So I think that in 2020, I was in the Access Bank Marathon, yeah, I think so. But I didn’t make anything out of it.
The one in Lagos, yeah?
Yeah, Assess Bank. That was my first time in the Access Bank Marathon. But I didn’t place among the winners. So after that, I came back, and started training, going for the competition. But the training was once in a while. As a marathoner, you have to train every day, apart from Sunday. But yeah, sometimes I train once a week. Sometimes in a week, I don’t even train at all. Because of family and work, I was just pushing it small, small, until this opportunity came around. So I decided to go to the North. It’s still her that pushed me to go to the North.
Where in the North?
Plateau State, Pankshin Local Government.
Okay, good conditions there. So now are you going to be participating in the Lagos Marathon that’s coming up pretty soon?
I would have participated, but I don’t know how this will sound. I’m just recovering from an injury. Even this 50km I ran for the governor, I ran it with an injury, I was not that fit, yeah. So I don’t want to push hard for that and miss the better one when the injury reoccurs, So I have to go gradually. It’s a competition, so if I push, maybe the injury will come back. So for now, I have a race in Bayelsa State, which I’m about to go in now, this weekend. So I don’t know if I will come. For now, I have not decided. But I have registered for it.
If I may ask, how old are you?
I’m 35, but I’m going to be 36 this year.
Wow, running at your age, that’s good, because, correct me if I’m wrong, I think marathons are for young men, yeah? At your age, that you’re fitting up, doing 50 kilometres. But Clinton, you’re a special human being. I bow for you, honestly. I’m impressed with your story, I love what you’re doing and I can only wish you the best. I mean, you know, keep it up. But Clinton, your race from Aba to Port Harcourt is documented, yeah? So people can see what you did?
Yeah
Did you have a camera crew or something?
Yeah, yeah. It’s on Facebook. I was live on Facebook. I got a cameraman and a bike man who covered the event. I was live.
