Sunday Feb. 23rd 2025 I ran Marathon du Sénégal in and about Saly (south of Dakar, Sénégal). Find below my full race coverage from this marathon and tourist impressions from Dakar.
Dakar and Gorée Island
I enjoyed 2 days in Dakar and 2 days in Saly, give or take. Dakar is famous for the now terminated Dakar Rally but also the the Gorée Island, which I shortly visited Friday afternoon. To see the “Maison des Esclaves” from where the slaves were deported to America made a big impression and send associations to so many things, for some reason firstly the 1970s TV-series “Roots” and the story of “Kunta Kinte” based on the novel of Alex Haley (I read the novel as well when I was 11). So take a look at the picture below of the “Door of No Return” and dwell a few minutes of the impacts of the american slavery. Makes me so sad on so many levels, for so many destinies over so many hundreds of years!
I saw a bunch of other landmarks in Dakar as well, most notably Monument de la Renaissance Africaine and Mosque of the Divinity. But Gorée was “it”.
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Marathon du Sénégal 2025
The event carried several distances: marathon, half marathon, 10 K and 5 K. The route was almost completely flat, for all distances out south and back the same way. There were security/Police all the way and they stood there even waiting for me to finish all day long, cudos and big thanks for that effort! Well, it became VERY WARM during the day, 34 C in the shadows, we ran in direct sun, thus it became impossible for me to run at about half ways. My suggestion for going forward: add some bananas, some Coca Cola and drinks with electrolytes for the half and marathon runners, ie. at the water stations at 10 km, 15 km and 21 km (which are passed twice by the marathon runners). Also, if possible, add a page in English on the website, gathering all the important information about the race, registration etc.
In total, I am very happy to have completed this race and experienced both Dakar and Saly. Thanks!
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See or relive Marathon du Sénégal 2025 here (and in Arabic)
