Journey to the Finish Line: Liberia's 2011 Marathon

Photo 1 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (center), accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield and others, kicks off the 10 kilometer section of Liberia's first marathon event on August 28.
Photo 2 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

Liberians line Monrovia's streets to cheer on runners in the downpour. Nearly 1000 took part in the 10k race, the Amputee race, the Wheelchair race and the full Marathon (26.2 miles).
Photo 3 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

Amputees feature prominently in the 10K race - a reminder of the human devastation during 14 years of civil war.
Photo 4 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

Mary Broh, Monrovia's popular mayor, greets spectators as she reaches the finish line in Samuel K. Doe stadium.
Photo 5 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

Amputees persisted running the 10K race, though the wet conditions presented major challenges.
Photo 6 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield cheers her arrival at the end of the 10K race.
Photo 7 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

Liberian Lucy Massaquoi,16, the first female to complete the full marathon, collapses as she crosses the finish line. Ethiopia's Mehari Gebre took gold for the men.
Photo 8 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

At the end of 10K: Hesta Pearson (Liberia Travel and Leisure), Lynn Robbroeckx ( ArcelorMittal), Jean Juste (entrepreneur), Jennifer Lewis (Chevron), Riva Levinson (KRL) and Nadeem Anwar (Chevron).
Photo 9 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

Urging on each other in keeping with the race's slogan, "lets finish together".
Photo 10 of 17

Credit: Bonnie Allen

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas Grenfield, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the CEO of BHP Billiton Liberia (the marathon's chief sponsor), Jeff Zweig, just before the start of the event.
Photo 11 of 17

Credit: Tami Hultman/allAfrica

Preparation for the world's newest marathon and 10K race in Monrovia began in June. Hugh Jones, secretary of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), who won the London marathon in 1982, came to Monrovia to plot the course.
Photo 12 of 17

Credit: Tami Hultman/allAfrica

Bill Sherrif from the local organizing committee served as the marathon course measurer.
Photo 13 of 17

Credit: Tami Hultman/allAfrica

Bill Sherrif and Hugh Jones used bicycles to measure distances and lay out the running course.
Photo 14 of 17

Credit: Tami Hultman/allAfrica

The marathon is a personal journey, a personal journey connected to the national journey," says Peter Harrington, coordinator of the race, who is working in Liberia as a Blair Fellow. "If we can help get those stories out, we help provide a platform whereby people can understand the country better."
Photo 15 of 17

Credit: Tami Hultman/ allAfrica

Kesselee Kanneh is chair of the Technical Committee of the Liberian Athletics Federation,
Photo 16 of 17

Credit: Tami Hultman/allAfrica

"That's the thing about marathons - ostensibly it's an athletic event but what a major city marathon does is act like a vehicle in which various things can be carried - awareness, fund-raising, running for a cause - but also advertising the host venue in a favorable light," says Harrington.
Photo 17 of 17

Credit: Tami Hultman/ allAfrica

"Liberia is on a journey. The journey is a marathon to reconstruction and recovery, not a sprint. It is a long, slow, steady kind of national effort." Hugh Jones and Bill Sherrif ride together to finish surveying the course. For more information see: http://liberiamarathon.com

Comments Post a comment

InFocus

Liberia: The Year in Photos

This allAfrica feature reviews the photo essays of 2011's major news events. Read more »

Liberia Stages First Marathon - with President Taking Part

Journey to the Finish Line: Liberia's 2011 Marathon

The world's newest marathon and 10K race was held Sunday in Monrovia. Participants turned out in spite of the rainy weather, including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was st ... Read more »