Running / Endurance in January

The Mount Cameroon Race of Hope is one of the hardest one-day mountain races anywhere, a run from the town of Buea to the 4095 metre summit and back in a single morning. First held in 1973 and once sponsored by Guinness, it now draws several hundred Cameroonian and international runners who cover about 38 kilometres and some 3000 metres of ascent from the Molyko stadium, up through forest and lava fields to the crater rim, then straight back down. The winning men finish the whole climb and descent in under four and a half hours, an effort that has made local champions into national heroes. There is no organiser selling a package here; you enter through the athletics federation, line up at the stadium, and run the mountain that towers over the coast. For spectators, race day turns Buea into a carnival of drummers and crowds lining the lower slopes.