The Sierra Leone, ‘More Than Just A Marathon’

It’s 4am, it’s marathon day but this didn’t feel like marathon day though, this felt like much, much more. 

There was no ‘I’ in this marathon, today was about the people of Sierra Leone, the other runners taking part who had formed an amazing camaraderie and raising vital funds for the incredible charity, Street Child. 

This was to be my 10th marathon but the first one where I would rock up to the start line and know every international runner running the event thanks to the incredible days we spent together building up to the event.  They say on the marketing materials that the Sierra Leone Marathon is ‘more than just a marathon’ and I can assure you, it really is.  

Our hotel group, the ‘Amzaz loyals’, were lucky enough to be based right on the start line making our wake up time just a bit later, happy days!   

Usually, when we left the hotel to go on a project visit we would be greeted by 10’s of screaming children making us feel as if we were premier league footballers.  Surely at 4am all the children would be at home, asleep in bed?  What a western way to think. Street Child was started by Tom Dannatt who had a mission to get 100 kids off the street and into education.  The charity has achieved much more than this with their work being represented across 20 of the poorest countries however there is still so much more to be done which is why events like this are so important. 

It’s very easy to sit at home, enjoy our daily luxuries like running water, electricity and Wi-Fi and forget just how lucky we are to be born where we were or into the family we were born into.  Turning on a tap to get water really is a luxury.  For 4 days before this race, we spent time visiting Street Childs projects which included seeing where the money raised went, surprisingly, this is more than just going to children.  It is used to support children, schools and families but in a way which means they can have a sustainable future.  

Street Child allowed us to visit and speak with some of their beneficiaries and it was here that it was clear just how great everyone in Sierra Leone thinks Street Child are but also where you had to fight back the tears.  Many of these people had lost loved ones during the civil war or Ebola and it meant a number of the beneficiaries we met were potentially supporting their little brothers and sisters and acting as the mother.  Many had set up a small business selling essential items, such as chickens, stoves or rice.  The aim of this was to sell enough each day so they could afford to send their children to school and feed them. 

I felt extremely lucky to be able to visit a rural community where we were shown around the village, saw how they produced their crop and how they lived.  After seeing the village, we spent an hour or so teaching the community simple games like hopscotch, naughts and crosses and dance moves such as the sprinkler!  The smiles, the laughs and the sheer enjoyment of the families taking part was special and made me realise just how little you need to be happy (Do I really need a pair of Nike AlphaFlys!?).  The families were so thankful for Street Childs work and us visiting them, that they offered us a live chicken and some avocados to take back with us.  Unsure how Brussel Airlines would take that, we politely declined. 

Now, you might see why the Sierra Leone Marathon is more than just a marathon.  It was pre marathon night and Tom, CEO of Street Child summed it up perfectly.

“Whether you finish it or not, the hardest part is already done. Being out here, seeing the work Street Child does, and raising all the funds is why we are all here and is the only thing that matters.’’

Marathon Day

This was it, this was the day we got to run the streets of Makeni and experience what is an unforgettable experience!  The atmosphere started to build as more and more people started to flock to the start line.  The most beautiful thing about this race is that there is also a Half Marathon, 10k and 5k so pretty much everyone can enter and run.  This is great for internationals who want to see the amazing work Street Child do but also the locals.  Running in West Africa isn’t the same as those East African countries! Just before the start, we had a short speech from the former president of Sierra Leone and then the national anthem.  

My plan for this race was to take my time, try to use my broken Krio (Local Language) to as many locals as possible and take every single second in.  After all, my goal for 2022 was to NOT run a marathon. 

As the sun started to rise, the race started.  We were off, running through the red dirt streets of Makeni and we got to see Makeni as it slowly woke up.  We saw Mums washing clothes, others trying to get the stove hot to make breakfast and kids running alongside us all desperate to be part of the marathon experience.

There was a good group of 8 of us running together, encouraging each other and ensuring we kept drinking water.  As we left the town of Makeni, I was shocked to see how many runners there were not running the race but doing a sunrise run.  Many of these were running in really old trainers and it was at this point, I realised ‘Thomas Muller’ (not his real name but what he went off due to his love of football) who we met at the start line was actually going to attempt to run the entire marathon with us.  For around 10 miles, Anna (Street Child Comms officer) and I got to run with ‘Muller’, he hadn’t ever ran before. Didn’t know how far the marathon was but was so pleased to be running with us.  For Anna and I, we just wanted him to slow down.

‘Muller’ decided to go for the Half Marathon route in the end and it was then just Anna and I to run the 10km out and back together.  The out and back is on an open road with little shade.  It was at this point, I realised how important it was to get this done before the sun was fully up and the temperatures got to over 30 degrees.   At 15 miles, I told Anna to run on without me and she happily ran off to win 1st woman home! YES Anna!

I then ran alone for around 7 miles through the most beautiful countryside which consisted of a dirt track and stunning green rainforest.   I was pinching myself.  I was alone, running through some of the most stunning scenery and every mile or so running through a small remote village where the whole community were cheering us on and even running parts with me.   For me, I always enjoy a short run alone to take my thoughts in and connect with Mum who is my inspiration for running. 

It was at this point, I came across the amazing Julie Creffield who runs ‘Too Fat To Run’ and her running buddy Emily.  I took this time to enjoy a few miles with them, sharing experiences of the race and the overall experience and this boosted me and reminded me of the reason why we were running….for the children of Sierra Leone!

I went to Sierra Leone with my good mate Dave and I always planned to finish with him.  At the 22 mile mark, I decided to wait at the checkpoint for him.  It had nothing to do with the fact I got ice packs, coconuts, mangos and the chance to belt out James Blunts ‘beautiful’ with the locals.

Before we knew it, Dave, Jordan (Another Amzaz Loyal who became a great mate) and I were back in Makeni and the chaos of the streets was in full flow.  We had locals telling us to go different ways to the signs, others who wanted to run with us and some who told us we were in last place. 

As we came over the finish line, every single runner who had finished was there to cheer us on along with a range of children who were desperate to run through the finish line with us.

We’d done it.  We ran the streets of Makeni for the children of Sierra Leone.  It was now time to cheer the rest of our amazing crew in and then a bucket shower, some poyo (a fermented drink made in Sierra Leone from various species of palm trees) and a chill on one of the most beautiful beach resorts I have ever visited.

A huge shout out to every single runner who smashed their race and an extra special one to the 8 inspiring ladies from too fat to run who showed the world that anything is possible!

Do you fancy it next year?  Coopah would love to look at taking a team out there for the 2023 event.  If you are interested, please email me on pete@coopah.com 

Finally, I want to say a massive thank you to the amazing team of people at Street Child.  Your work inspires me but your passion to make the world a better place inspires me even more.  We need more people like you in the world.  You’re making Sierra Leone proud.

Sierra Leone, you’ve got my heart.