Running for the Rainforest
What's in a marathon?
The logic or thrill of running marathons is hard to pin down. Hundreds of thousands of humans take part in these acts of apparent self-flagellation each year, driven by some personal conviction to run 42 kilometres as quickly as possible on a given day at a given time. One of the best hand-written, roadside banners I read was in the final painful few kilometres of the Two Oceans marathon in Cape Town which reminded me to “smile, you paid for this”.
Indeed, we do pay and marathons pay us back. Whether it’s with a self-affirming sense of accomplishment or a recognition of your personal strength, an answer to the primal need to push yourself to the edge of your capabilities, or simply to share the pain and joy with strangers in the same self-chosen boat. For me, marathons are a chance to do all of the above while exploring somewhere new, using the power of my own engine to extend my horizons and explore a brand new place.
Run for the rainforest
It’s for this particular reason that the Odzala Marathon in Congo is casting such a spell of intrigue over me. The location of this five-year-old race is putting it on the map of next-level marathons that I absolutely need to run – this incredible endurance event winds a 42km path through the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, 13,500 square kilometres of lowland rainforest and a cornerstone of the Congo basin or the “lungs of Africa”. It is one of the oldest and most biodiverse ecosystems on earth – and one of the least visited. If this destination is not screaming at you to be explored, read on, I’ll have you signed up soon!
Before I go on, it should be clarified in case of any confusion that the marathon takes place in the Republic of Congo and not in its conflict-ridden neighbour with the very similar name of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The small African country of Congo is a mostly peaceful country, whose vast jungles provide the only stable habitat for the western lowland gorilla. Aside from these critically endangered apes, the Congo basin ecosystem supports over 400 animal species, 1,000 bird species, and 10, 000 plant species, and barely a human to be found. This is one of the last truly wild places on earth!
Kamba African Rainforest Experience
The race is one of three distances – there is 21km Ranger’s Challenge and a 10km Run for the Rainforest too – that is organised by Kamba African Rainforest Experience, the only private operator with concession rights in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. In 2024, Kamba was named one of Time magazine’s World’s Greatest Places thanks to its three stylish lodges – Ngaga, Mboko and Lango – each positioned within the forest to reveal a different facet of the wilderness.
Each race is capped at 50 runners, keeping it an exclusive experience, not only for the sake of those taking part, but to protect the integrity of the forest, home to forest elephants, bonobo, African grey parrots, and other rarely seen wildlife. The race is fully supported, with regular stations for hydration and energy, as well as medical stations and professional guides posted regularly along the route. One hundred percent of the funds raised go directly to African Parks for conservation work, including wildlife protection and community development. That’s right, every cent raised goes towards conservation.
When?
The event takes place in the month of October, with the next event scheduled on 3 October 2026.
Kamba Africa directly supports protection of the critically endangered (one step away from extinct in the wild) Lowland Western Gorilla. Primatologist Magdalena Bermejo spearheaded habituation to further understand.
Ngaga is where you track western lowland gorillas on foot. These are not the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Uganda. They are rarer, shyer and encountered in dense forest — an experience that requires patience, a good guide and the willingness to move slowly. The forest floor reveals forest elephants, lowland bongo, forest buffalo and leopard. Kayaking along the Lekoli River at dawn is, by many accounts, among the finest wildlife experiences available anywhere on the continent.
And then there is the Run for the Rainforest.
Organised by Kamba, the Odzala Marathon is one of the most extraordinary endurance events in the world — and one of the smallest. Entries are capped at 50 runners per distance. The three categories — 42km, 21km and 10km — take participants from Kamba’s lodges through dirt tracks in the heart of the park, finishing at Mbomo Village. One hundred percent of funds raised go directly to African Parks for conservation work, including wildlife protection and community development. The next event takes place on 3 October 2026.
For the right group — a school expedition, a leadership cohort, a team of driven individuals who want their physical challenge to mean something — this is an arc with few parallels. Arrive in the Congo, run through one of the world’s last intact rainforests, contribute directly to its protection and leave with something that is difficult to put into words.
Sindisa designs Congo expeditions around the Kamba experience. Speak to our team about building this into a group or individual itinerary