Run4Breath Campaign Culminates in Lagos, Draws Nationwide Support for Asthma Awareness
Ayo Ake
After running a half marathon every day across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to raise awareness about asthma and the rising cost of inhalers, the Run4Breath campaign culminated in Lagos on Saturday, August 15, with more than 100 runners and walkers turning out in solidarity with people living with the respiratory condition.
The Lagos leg, which served as the South-West phase and grand finale of the campaign, began at about 6:00 a.m. at Bayo Kuku Avenue, Ikoyi. Runners from different parts of Lagos joined Theodore Ogedegbe, Jude Enumjekonaishu and Benedict Monye, the campaign leads, who had spent the preceding days running half marathons across the country.
From Ikoyi to Falomo, through the Link Bridge and Admiralty Way, runners and walkers joined the Run4Breath team in a colourful procession aimed at amplifying the campaign’s message: that access to essential asthma medication should not be determined by a person’s ability to pay.
The Lagos finale attracted members of several running communities, including Shight Running Club, Fit Trackers, Milesmashers, Zero Run Club, Fit Knob, Lazy District and No Carry Last, among others.
Support from the Running Community
Efe Riches, founder of Shight Running Club, said his club’s partnership with the campaign was driven by the significance of the cause and the opportunity to demonstrate the capacity of running communities to contribute to issues beyond sports and impact lives positively.
“It also shows how resilient runners are, making a sacrifice for what is beyond themselves. First, it is a welcome initiative that has done something meaningful differently. This also shows how much we can achieve as a community when we come together.”
He said the campaign had also helped place the running community at the centre of a wider conversation about health and social responsibility
Beyond the run itself, the turnout highlighted the power of community action and the responsibility of individuals and organisations to support people facing health challenges.
‘No One Deserves to Struggle to Breathe’
For many of the runners, Run4Breath represented an opportunity to use running for something beyond personal fitness.
Godwin Henry, one of the participants, said supporting the campaign was consistent with his belief in creating equal opportunities for people to live decent lives.
He said following the campaign across the geopolitical zones and eventually participating in the Lagos finale was a humbling experience, particularly seeing the determination of the campaign leads and the community that had grown around the initiative.
“Supporting the Run4Breath campaign was a no-brainer for me,” Henry said, describing the commitment behind the campaign as phenomenal.
Matthew “Playfit,” a leader with Milesmashers Running Club, said his motivation was simple: “No one deserves to struggle to breathe.”
As a runner who is conscious of the effects of poor air quality, he said the campaign presented an opportunity for the running community to use its collective influence for a cause that affects both athletes and the wider public.
Playfit also challenged running communities to extend their support beyond conventional race and medal events, stressing that the growth of one member of the community should be considered a win for everyone.
“A movement from one of us in the community is a growth for all of us,” he said.
He added that runners could do more to promote and support meaningful causes emerging within their communities.
Running for Cleaner Air
The connection between asthma, outdoor activity and air quality was also central to the Lagos finale.
Waziri Mainasara, representing Fit Trackers Run Club and UrbanBetter Citizens, said Fit Trackers was motivated to participate because the campaign aligned with its commitment to healthy living through physical activity while recognising the environmental conditions that can affect people’s health.
“As runners, we understand the importance of clean air to safe and healthy physical activity, particularly for people living with asthma,” he said.
Mainasara explained that the partnership also allowed different organisations to combine their passion for running with advocacy around air quality and respiratory health.
He noted that Run4Breath’s work closely aligns with UrbanBetter’s focus on cleaner and healthier cities. According to him, the campaign’s air-quality readings, combined with running and advocacy, provided a way to make the health implications of air pollution more visible.
He added that exposure to air pollution can worsen respiratory symptoms and contribute to asthma attacks, making cleaner air important not only for people living with asthma but for everyone who exercises outdoors.
UrbanBetter’s network of Cityzens Hubs across 13 cities, he said, also provides an existing community structure through which initiatives connecting data, lived experiences and collective action can be expanded.
Earlier in the campaign, Ogedegbe and Enumjekonaishu had conducted air-quality readings in the cities where they ran, adding an environmental dimension to the asthma awareness campaign.
Solidarity Beyond Lagos
The campaign’s reach extended well beyond the Lagos finale.
In Ibadan, the co-founders of Let’s Run Ibadan (LRI), Priscilla Adedeji and Nancy Damhindi, mobilised their running community after noticing that the city was not initially included among the participating locations.
As the initiative’s Ibadan Community Host Partner, LRI encouraged its members to register, share the campaign and contribute to the cause. More than 15 members registered for the campaign.
On Saturday, August 15, the club also organised a 5–10km Run4Breath Community Run in Ibadan, coinciding with the Lagos finale. Participants were encouraged to wear a touch of green in support of the campaign, while LRI used its community and social media platforms to share information about asthma and reinforce the message that Every Breath Matters.
For Adedeji and Damhindi, the decision to participate was rooted in the belief that running could be used for something bigger than fitness.
They said asthma affects people and families in Ibadan just as it does elsewhere, making the campaign an opportunity for their community to combine its values of inclusion, healthier living and community engagement with a meaningful health cause.
The turnout, they said, was particularly rewarding because members were not simply running; they were contributing to awareness and standing in solidarity with people affected by asthma.
The experience, according to the co-founders, reinforced what Let’s Run Ibadan represents: “Everyone. Every Pace. One Community.”
Similar solidarity activities and support were recorded in other parts of Nigeria, including Bouge Run Club led by Miss Anwuli Isibor in Port Harcourt, Run clubs in Benin, Sports Clique in University of Ibadan, and others who participated in different parts of tje country. Run4breath also had international supporters in the United Kingdom and United States also participated virtually.
The Challenge Behind the Miles
For Jude Enumjekonaishu, one of the leading faces of Run4Breath, completing a half marathon every day while navigating the logistics of a nationwide campaign was a significant challenge.
But the response from beneficiaries made the physical and logistical demands worthwhile.
“Running a half marathon every day has been challenging, alongside the stress of logistics and moving promptly, but it has been heartwarming to see in real time how the inhaler has brought relief to people,” Enumjekonaishu said.
He recalled visiting hospitals and meeting people who received inhalers through the campaign, saying the immediate relief and happiness on their faces reinforced the purpose of the journey.
“The instant relief and joy on their faces make the whole sacrifice worthwhile.”
Ogedegbe also attributed the success of the campaign to the network of organisations, foundations, running clubs, health professionals and individuals who supported the initiative.
He specifically acknowledged PCN Sportiva LP for covering the team’s logistics throughout the journey and Julatamo Travels for supporting accommodation.
He also recognised Let’s Give Foundation, Cido Asthma Foundation, Rasheedat Ajibade Foundation, Youth Ablaze Foundation, FLAM and other organisations that contributed towards the purchase of inhalers.
MyRaceTime App, the campaign’s organising partner and medal designer, was also acknowledged, alongside runners whose contributions towards medals directly supported the purchase of inhalers.
Ogedegbe further praised run club captains across the country for facilitating local runs and awareness activities and the health organisations that helped ensure the inhalers reached people who needed them.
Run4Breath Rounds Off at LUTH
The campaign formally rounded off on Monday, August 17, when the Run4Breath team visited Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to donate inhalers to support patients living with asthma.
The delegation comprised Ogedegbe, Enumjekonaishu and Monye, alongside Waziri Mainasara of UrbanBetter Citizens and Fit Trackers Run Club.
The team was received by Mrs. Titi Tade, Director of Medical Social Services, who introduced them to Professor Rufus Ojewole, Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, representing the Chief Medical Director, Professor Lanre Wasiu Adeyemo.
Speaking on behalf of the team, Jude Enumjekonaishu gave an overview of the Run4Breath campaign, explaining that the initiative had taken the runners through Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones — Bauchi, Kaduna, Abuja, Enugu, Delta and Lagos — while distributing inhalers to people living with asthma along the way.
Responding on behalf of the Chief Medical Director, Professor Ojewole commended the initiative, describing it as an example of identifying a pressing need and taking deliberate action to address it.
He expressed particular satisfaction that Lagos was included among the campaign’s beneficiary locations and disclosed that the hospital’s Head of Social Welfare would work with the team to ensure the donated inhalers were appropriately distributed.
Professor Ojewole also highlighted the financial difficulties faced by many patients at LUTH, revealing that about 60 percent of patients receiving treatment at the hospital are unable to afford their medical bills.
Medical practitioners at the event further shared the case of a man earning about ₦70,000 monthly who struggles to purchase an inhaler costing approximately ₦12,000 while providing for his two children.
The example illustrated the difficult choices some patients are forced to make between purchasing essential medication and meeting basic household needs.
Urging the Run4Breath team to sustain the initiative, Professor Ojewole stressed the potential life-saving impact of the donated inhalers.
“The impact of what you are doing cannot be overemphasized. Just one of these inhalers can prevent one person from dying — and that person could even be the breadwinner of a family.”
Waziri Mainasara, speaking at the event, also emphasised the wider impact of supporting individuals with critical health needs, noting that helping one person can ultimately benefit an entire family and community.
At the conclusion of the visit, Professor Ojewole described the donated inhalers as more than a material contribution, calling them “a gift of life and hope.”
He assured the Run4Breath team that the inhalers would be distributed appropriately to patients who need them and encouraged the team to continue expanding the initiative.
From Bauchi to Kaduna, Abuja to Enugu, Delta to Lagos, the Run4Breath campaign turned kilometres into advocacy, bringing together runners, health organisations, foundations and communities around a shared message.
The campaign demonstrated that running can be more than a sport. It can be a vehicle for awareness, solidarity and social action, and, in the case of Run4Breath, a means of helping people breathe a little easier.
