Accra International Marathon - Race Reviews

Am not a frequent (half) Marathon runner but did so in Oct 2016 (I am Dutch living in Ghana for some time now), and I had a fun Sunday morning. The start was right on time. Course was nice along the coast and through town (should be more traffic control though as course is open to traffic). Having cyclists guarding runners off was a good idea (pls have more of those!). Organizing events is difficult in Ghana so was pleasantly surprised (shirts and bibs available in time / post race event was well organized with drinks, food, music, medals goodie bags for everyone). Water distribution during the race was good first half but last part there was hardly any water (when you need it most). And it would be nice to have more runners (especially the half and full marathon / mostly foreigners it seems).

I ran the full marathon in 2009 and the 1/2 in 2010. Despite the organizer's promises to do better, we again started an hour late. There were no signs at the start of the race, no distance markers along the way, and while the water was at least out on the course this year, there were no tables set up - you kind of had to "spot" the water stops. It took three weeks to post the results, and they only did so for a fraction of the runners, etc., etc. If you are going to do this race, suggest to take it as a practice run - if you're serious, you'll be frustrated.

The race started an hour late but at least they picked us up from Accra in a bus. We ran along the side of the road and at every intersection the police were there to direct us. There was water every couple of kilometers for the runners; sometimes a case of water bottle was waiting for us, or the race director would pull up and hand off water. The run along the beach was nice, but the run through the busy market near the end was chaotic. Drank 10 liters of water on the course and the race director collapsed at one point from the heat. Medals and shirts were nice, but we had to wait awhile at the end to get them.

There was no medical support, the course was an extra mile long, the race started an hour late, the course is dangerous and dirty, and there's no crowd support, no medal, and no food. Even Coke costs 50 pesewas after the race. Not recommended at all.

I came to this marathon with very low expectations and was still disappointed. First, the race started 2 hours late. Secondly, the course was not well-marked and through industrial, congested, and semi-unsafe parts of town. There were barely any runners, zero spectators, and we were harassed and nearly run over by tro-tro drivers and other cars, as no roads were blocked off for the race. At packet pick-up, we were promised goody bags and T-shirts. They didn't have either. No medals either. And no food during the race, except for some fruit at the end. Even then, the woman giving out oranges told me I was only allowed to have one! For $75 a pop, I think I could organize a better marathon. Stay far away from this one!