Sierra Leone Marathon

Event summary

In 2009 Lonely Planet named Sierra Leone in its top ten countries to visit. And it's easy to see why. With a string of beautiful beaches, a wonderful culture and one of the warmest welcomes you'll receive anywhere in the world, it is an ever-engaging place to visit.

In 2016 the marathon returned to Makeni, the third largest city in Sierra Leone. Makeni is where Street Child began its work in 2008. Although the charity has expanded nationwide since then, it remains our hub town, which means that there were lots of opportunities to visit and interact with our work and the children we support.

Holding the race there also means that our staff, and some of the families we work with, were able to play a part in the manning and staging of the event. We have excellent networks in Makeni, from the police and the army, to the local and council authorities.

Because of this, Makeni, apart from being the place we most want you to visit, is also the place we can safely put on this extraordinary event. The Sierra Leone Marathon was run on both urban and rural roads. The majority of these are hard-packed mud roads, but also some tarmac. The route took in some of the most beautiful scenes of northern Sierra Leone.

Highlights

• A fantastic Marathon in the Sierra Leone
• Hard-packed mud roads and tarmac
• Beautiful scenery of northern Sierra Leone
• Once in a lifetime opportunity
• One of the world's most challenging running events

What others say

"Running in such a beautiful country with all the villagers turning out and supporting you with such enthusiasm - 26 miles has never seemed so short!"

Run for a reason

Street Child are offering you guaranteed entry into this event in return for raising funds. This means that you become part of our charity team in the run-up to the event, on the big day itself and beyond!

Also taking place

Half marathon, 10km and 5km events.