Liberia Marathon

The Race

History

Planning for the Liberia Marathon began in 2010, and the first race ran on 28 August 2011. The organiser, the Liberia Marathon Trust, counted more than a thousand participants across the programme that day: local runners, expatriates, visitors and disabled athletes in one field. The second edition followed on 25 August 2013 and brought in electronic chip timing.

The 2014 race was cancelled during the Ebola emergency. When the event returned in November 2015 it offered a half marathon and not the full distance, so the edition count and the count of 42 km races do not match. A 10 km event restarted the series in 2021 and longer distances came back in 2022. The 2024 race counted almost 2,000 finishers across all distances, 30 per cent of them women, with hearing-impaired, vision-impaired, wheelchair and crutches athletes included. The 2025 race gave almost 2,700 finishers, 33 per cent women and 120 teams. The organiser called the October 2025 race its seventh edition.

Amadu Sajor Samura of Sierra Leone won the men’s marathon in 2025 in 2:47:30, reported as a new course record. The previous record and its holder were not stated, and no women’s course record has been published. The race has moved around the calendar: August in the early years, October in 2025 and mid-November for 2026.

The course

The marathon starts just outside the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex in Paynesville and finishes inside the stadium. The organiser’s route list runs through a small loop near RIA Highway, ELWA Junction, a right turn onto Tubman Boulevard, 72nd Street and the Japanese Freeway, then reaches Freeport, where the half marathon joins. It continues to Mamba Point, drops to PHP Community Park and climbs back to the Executive Mansion. The return follows Tubman Boulevard and S.D. Cooper Road to the stadium. The finish is on the stadium track: runners enter the complex, go round the stadium and finish inside it.

The mapped line leaves Paynesville on ELWA Road and S.D. Cooper Road, passes ELWA Junction at km 3.2 and reaches Tubman Boulevard in Congo Town at km 4. Samuel Kanyon Doe Boulevard carries it through Nizohn at km 8, and Somalia Drive runs from km 10 to km 21 past Jacob’s Town and New Georgia Junction. United Nations Drive leads through Clara Town and Westpoint to the far point at Mamba Point at km 25.9, 14.0 km from the start in a straight line. The line returns by Revolutionary Road and Camp Johnson Road, passes the Executive Mansion at km 28.7 and runs back along Tubman Boulevard through Sinkor and Congo Town to S.D. Cooper Road at km 41.

The mapped line is flat for its first half. It stays between 8 and 20 m to km 21, drops to the 4 m low at km 22.6 and then climbs 23 m over 1.4 km (1.7%) to Westpoint. It climbs again by 15 m over 0.6 km (2.5%) from km 25.1 and by 18 m over 0.9 km (2.0%) from km 28.2 to the Executive Mansion. The last rise is 21 m over 2.7 km (0.8%) on Tubman Boulevard from km 35.4 to the 37 m high point at km 38. The line starts at 17 m and finishes at 18 m.

Km 0 to 6: out of Paynesville. The line leaves the complex on ELWA Road, runs along S.D. Cooper Road at km 2 and reaches Tubman Boulevard in Congo Town at km 4. The start is at dawn on the coast and already warm, so keep the first five kilometres easy.

Km 6 to 22: Samuel Kanyon Doe Boulevard and Somalia Drive.A wide road through estates and communities, between 8 and 20 m to km 21. Water is on the course, but station positions are not published, so carry a small bottle or gels if you rely on a particular drink. Freeport, where half-marathon runners join, comes in the organiser’s list ahead of Mamba Point, and the road thickens with mixed paces from there.

Km 22 to 28: Westpoint and Mamba Point. The line bottoms out at 4 m at km 22.6 on United Nations Drive between Clara Town and Westpoint, then climbs 23 m to km 24.1 and 15 m more from km 25.1. The far point at km 25.9 is at Mamba Point, and the line turns back towards the city.

Km 28 to 30: Revolutionary Road and the Executive Mansion. An 18 m climb (2.0%) from km 28.2 to 29.1 on Revolutionary Road and Camp Johnson Road passes the Executive Mansion at km 28.7, then the line falls 16 m in the next kilometre. These are the steepest ground of the race and they arrive after 28 km.

Km 30 to 42.2: Tubman Boulevard and the stadium. The return runs through Sinkor and Congo Town on Tubman Boulevard, flat to km 35 and then rising 21 m to the 37 m high point at km 38, where the last descent of 24 m begins. S.D. Cooper Road leads back into Paynesville at km 41. The timing line is inside the stadium, so the sight of the gate is not the finish: run through the entrance, round the stadium and onto the track.

Course Map

The map shows the mapped line from the SKD Sports Complex north-west to Mamba Point and back along Tubman Boulevard, with the start and finish and the course’s high and low points. The 2026 route may differ. Tap a marker for details, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course with the elevation profile beneath it.

What to wear

The start is at dawn on the coast and the day warms fast. The published runner briefing sets the gun at 06:00, with the runner area opening at 04:45 and check-in closing at 05:30, so confirm all three for 2026. The climate is hot and humid, and November marks the move towards the drier season. Rain remains possible on the coast. No verified start-hour temperature is published.

Wear a light, loose singlet and shorts in a fabric that sheds sweat. A thin cap or visor helps with sun and rain, and sunglasses are worth carrying for the later kilometres. Apply sunscreen before the start, especially on the shoulders and the back of the neck. A throwaway layer is unnecessary for most runners. No clothing donation scheme has been announced, so treat anything left at the start as lost. Water is on the course, but no sports nutrition has been announced, so carry your own gels and salt tablets and test every item of kit on a warm training run.

Entry

Entry is open to anyone, with no ballot and no qualifying time. It is first come, first served and closes early when places run out, and the 2026 race sold out before its registration window ended. The minimum age for the full marathon is 18.

Registration runs in three price bands. For international entrants the full marathon costs USD 85 before 30 September, USD 95 in the regular band and USD 105 in the late band, with the last two both labelled October and no exact boundary published. Liberian nationals pay USD 14, 16 or 18, or the Liberian dollar equivalent. International entrants pay by card or PayPal, and Liberians can enter through a mobile-money route using Facebook Messenger.

Registration opened on 1 September. Team entries closed on 30 October and individual entries on 6 November, subject to an earlier sell-out. Teams register through a captain and a code, and a team entry is not a relay: each member runs the full distance. Wheelchair and crutches athletes enter free, although those categories run over 10 km. Runners with other disabilities can request a free entry at info@liberiamarathon.org. No charity-bib programme, guaranteed-entry standard, club allocation or tour-operator allocation is published. Race numbers cannot be swapped.

Refund, deferral and transfer terms are not published. If the race shows as sold out, check the registration page for a waiting list. No date or entry opening has been announced for the next edition.

For UK passport holders, FCDO requires a visa. The application asks for a passport with at least six months’ validity and evidence of yellow-fever vaccination. See Where to Stay for health and safety advice.

Fast Runner / GFA Standards

No ballot, qualifying time or guaranteed-entry route exists.

Race Weekend

Expo

Collect your bib before race day: the runner briefing forbids race-morning collection, so a late flight into Monrovia on the Saturday is a real risk. In the 2025 race collection ran at the Orange Digital Center in Congo Town on the Thursday and Friday from 10:00 to 17:00, and at the Ministry of Youth and Sports inside the SKD Sports Complex on the Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00. No commercial expo was described, so treat collection as a pack desk.

Bring photo identification and your registration confirmation. Proxy collection, shirt sizing, medical-certificate rules and uncollected-bib policy have not been published. The two venues are across the city from each other, so pick the day that fits your hotel. Check the organiser’s announcements for the 2026 venues and hours, because the 2025 locations may not carry over.

Getting to the Start

The start and finish are both at the SKD Sports Complex in Paynesville, so the outward journey and the return are separate problems to solve before race day. The runner briefing sets the runner area opening at 04:45, check-in closing at 05:30 and the gun at 06:00. Runners enter through the main gate and are directed to Gate 2. It describes two runner-bus corridors, from Freeport and from Duala, with a race bib needed to board, and clothing storage at the runner’s own risk with no valuables. Those were services of the previous edition and not guarantees.

Spectators cannot gather at the start or finish lines, which are restricted to participants and ticketed guests. If you are staying across the city, arrange a vehicle in advance: a hotel on Tubman Boulevard does not guarantee a car can cross the course when you need it. FCDO advises booking airport and local transport ahead and not walking after dark, which matters before a dawn start. Agree a pickup point outside the restricted areas for the return, and how you will contact your driver after the finish.

At the finish, runners go through the stadium, receive medals and recovery refreshments (water, soft drinks and small food in the last briefing) and collect belongings from storage. Toilets, bag-retrieval queues and reunion points are not published, and neither are headphone, pushchair or deferral rules.

Nutrition on Course

Water is provided on the course and first-aid support is available, but station positions are not published. The runner briefing confirmed water on the course and soft drinks and small food at the finish. No sports drink, gel or food station is announced. Carry your own fuel and a small bottle. Personal-bottle procedures, cup type, sponges and ice were not announced, and supply at the back of the field is not described.

Spectating

The most reliable plan is a single finish-area base, with the caveat that spectators cannot gather near the start or finish lines, which are restricted to participants and ticketed guests. Ask the organiser about ticketed guest access before you travel. Official cheer zones are planned along the route, which passes through roughly 25 Monrovia neighbourhoods, but zone locations have not been published. For an illustrative 06:00 start, four, five and six-hour finishers arrive at about 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00. Those are arithmetic examples and not predictions. A sighting on Tubman Boulevard, or around the Executive Mansion at km 28.7, could work for the last third of the race once the cheer zones and road closures are known. Live tracking has not been announced.

Post-Race Food

The simplest post-race meal is in your hotel, which saves another journey. Café Royale at the Royal Grand Hotel in Sinkor serves comfort food, an all-day breakfast, breakfast and lunch buffets and a Sunday brunch. The hotel lists daily service from 07:00 to 21:00, with longer hours on Mondays. A table is not guaranteed, and the drive from Paynesville needs planning. The Boulevard Palace Hotel confirms restaurant facilities, but Sunday menus and hours are not published online, so call before relying on it. Order a proper meal with carbohydrate and protein, drink plenty of water and avoid raw salads and ice if your stomach is unsettled. FCDO health advice for Liberia covers food and water precautions.

Where to Stay

The start and finish are in the same place, the SKD Sports Complex in Paynesville. Stay near it to make the race-morning journey short and the return simple. None of these hotels is a race partner.

Paynesville, near the SKD Sports Complex

The most direct base, because the race starts and finishes at SKD. RLJ Kendeja Resort sits off Roberts Field Highway and RLJ Boulevard in this wider area. Paynesville is a large municipality, so the resort is not a stadium-gate walk and a vehicle is still needed.

Sinkor and Tubman Boulevard

Royal Grand Hotel and Boulevard Palace Hotel are bases with on-site dining. The disadvantage is the transfer to SKD, which crosses the course or runs near it, so confirm road closures with your driver. FCDO reports crime against visitors in Sinkor and Mamba Point, so arrange transport in advance and do not walk after dark.

Mamba Point and the central peninsula

The race passes through here, but staying on the course is not the same as staying near the start. No hotel here is recommended, because none could be confirmed. The same FCDO crime warning applies.

Robertsfield, near the airport

The Farmington Hotel stands opposite Roberts International Airport. It works for an arrival or departure night and adds a long drive to SKD on race morning.

Marshall and the coast

Libassa Ecolodge is at Kpan’s Town on the Marshall Highway. It suits a post-race extension and not a race-weekend base.

UK travellers: entry, health and safety

British citizens need a visa for Liberia. The application asks for at least six months’ passport validity and evidence of yellow-fever vaccination. FCDO advises seeing a travel-health service at least eight weeks before departure for malaria, typhoid and Lassa fever, and notes that emergency and ambulance services are limited. Take insurance covering the marathon, medical evacuation and your whole itinerary. FCDO does not advise against all travel to Liberia, but its safety advice describes high crime and recommends prearranged transport. Check the advice again before you book and before you fly.

Recommended hotels

Booking timeline

Entry decides everything, and the 2026 race sold out ahead of its closing date. Registration opened on 1 September with an early band that ended on 30 September, so the cheapest entries went first. A hotel booking does not carry a bib with it. For a runner already entered, the order is the visa and passport checks, then yellow-fever documentation, then a travel-health appointment at least eight weeks out, then insurance, then accommodation and airport transfers. For the next edition no date or entry opening has been announced, so do not assume the same mid-November weekend. Once a date is published, hold a cancellable room and book the entry when the window opens. No official accommodation block or race-weekend premium has been measured.

See & Do

Four places in Monrovia, best taken by vehicle. Distances from the finish were not measured, so none is shown.

National Museum of Liberia

A working visitor site in Monrovia. Opening hours and admission have not been published, so book a short guided outing with a driver and avoid long standing in the first 48 hours after the race.

Providence Baptist Church

A Monrovia church that is also a visitor stop. Plan it as a short visit by vehicle and confirm access and opening times through your hotel.

Centennial Pavilion

Another stop on the same visitor circuit. Combine it with the museum and the church in one vehicle trip and not on foot.

Providence Island

Under redevelopment after a ground-breaking announced in August 2026. Check access before planning a visit, because works may restrict entry in race month.

After the Race

The race is on a Sunday, so the excursions start on the Monday. The heritage circuit is a half day in Monrovia, Libassa is the nearest overnight, and Robertsport is a long road trip towards the dry season.