Momentum builds for 11th Sierra Leone Marathon

By: Amadu Wurie Timbo

Cross section of partners at the key stakeholders meeting held at the club house in Makeni.

As momentum builds for the 11th Edition of the Street Child Sierra Leone Marathon (SLM), slated for Sunday, May 5, 2024 in Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone, representatives of the Street Child Sierra Leone on Friday wrapped up it's series of Stakeholders' dialogue to present what it expected to be the best ever SLM.

Held at the Street Child Club House Bar and Restaurant in Makeni, Northern Sierra Leone, the stakeholders engagement brought together representatives from various organizations including the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, Sierra Leone Police, Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, journalists, cyclists, sports marshals, and other key stakeholders who unanimously agreed on the race routes, categories, timing, security measures, participant registration, best performers prizes among other things.

Alusine Kanu, the Marathon Director of Street Child Sierra Leone, revealed the importance of stakeholders' involvement in the event's success. He emphasized their role in the planning process, acknowledging their meaningful input. He further provided insights into the race routes, highlighting adjustments made based on feedback received from runners. Notably, a new route for the Full Marathon and bike race, shifting from the Kamakwie Highway to the Kabala Highway, was unveiled to ensure the safety and comfort of participants.

Following a thorough reconnaissance of the race routes conducted by Street Child and Stakeholders on Saturday, April 13th, 2024, security concerns were addressed. Security personnel identified potential threat areas, particularly in bushy routes, and pledged to deploy a robust security presence to safeguard participants and deter any criminal activities.

Registration fees for all race categories remained consistent with the previous year, targeting a thousand participants for this year's event.

While Sierra Leonean nationals registration fees for the respective race categories stands at Le25 for the 5km race to Le55 for the 42km Full Marathon, International participants from across the world wanting to sign up for this year's SLM will have to between Le250 to Le1000 for the designated race categories.

To ensure value for money, every registered participants will receive race t-shirts, refreshments, and medals as part of their registration package.

In addition, emphasis were made that the primary objective of the SLM is to raise fund and unit communities and races from across the globe, yet prizes for the top three performers were also discussed but the event head Mark Maughan voiced that participants school not expect to get lofty prices as those up for grab at professional marathons.

Meanwhile, it was re-echoed that interested participants can sign up for the SLM either at the Street Child Sierra Leone's office in Freetown or the Street Child Clubhouse Bar and Restaurant in Makeni City, aiming to encourage widespread participation and maximize support for Street Child Sierra Leone's noble cause.