All activities / Running / Endurance / Makeni
Running / Endurance in Makeni
Sierra Leone Marathon
The main city of northern Sierra Leone, about 120 miles east of Freetown at the centre of Bombali District, a lively market and university town that hosts the Sierra Leone Marathon, the country's biggest running event, each year.
Run by Street Child, with published dates and a real program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why here
The Sierra Leone Marathon turns Makeni into the country's running capital for a week each year, and it is one of the most purposeful races in the world. Founded and run by the charity Street Child, every entrant runs in support of the same cause, funding education and child welfare across Sierra Leone, which makes the event rare in a sport crowded with commercial fields. The course loops out from Makeni city centre into the surrounding hills and villages of the north, a hot, hard, red-dirt route where runners are cheered through communities that rarely see visitors. There are full and half marathon distances plus 10k and 5k options and a 75-kilometre cycle challenge, so the day suits serious marathoners and first-timers alike. Voted best international event at the 2017 Running Awards, it pairs a genuine physical challenge with a hands-on look at the projects the entry fees pay for. For a runner who wants the race to mean something beyond a finish time, this is the reason to come to Makeni.
Best months
The race is held once a year and now falls in October, at the tail of the rainy season, so expect heat, high humidity and the chance of downpours; the earlier May editions ran in similar heat. This is a demanding tropical-heat event, so acclimatisation, pacing and hydration matter more than speed, and the full-marathon field is small and self-selecting. Distances run from a 5k up to the full 42.2k plus a 75k cycle. Entry is through Street Child and usually bundled with a supported multi-day trip.
Getting there & around
Makeni is about a two to three hour drive from Freetown on a good tarmac road, roughly 120 miles east. Most runners enter through Street Child's organised marathon package, which handles Freetown airport transfers, accommodation in Makeni and race logistics across the event week; independent entry is possible but less common. The 2026 event runs 21 to 26 October with optional beach days afterward. Bring hot-weather running kit, electrolytes and sun protection, and train for heat rather than cold.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Street Child Sierra Leone Marathon
OrganizerStreet Child is the international children's charity (registered charity 1128536) that founded and organises the Sierra Leone Marathon in Makeni, the country's biggest running event. Every runner races in support of Street Child's education and child-protection work in Sierra Leone, a single-cause format the Running Awards named best international event in 2017. The event offers full and half marathon, 10k and 5k distances plus a 75k cycle challenge across a supported event week.