Photography Exhibition celebrating five years of the 'World's craziest and most worthwhile marathon'

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION WILL CELEBRATE 5 YEARS OF THE ‘WORLD’S CRAZIEST AND MOST WORTHWHILE MARATHON’

On 20th October London based charity Street Child will be marking five years of its extraordinary Sierra Leone Marathon with a photography exhibition of the stunning event. It will celebrate the impact that this unique run has had on the lives of thousands of vulnerable children across Sierra Leone.

Taking place at 6.30pm on Thursday 20th October at Gallery 71a in Shoreditch, the exhibition will comprise professional photos as well as runners own shots capturing the energy, passion and impact of the last five years.

The exhibition will also launch the 2017 Sierra Leone Marathon which will take place on the 28th May 2017 in Makeni, Sierra Leone.
Dubbed by Runner’s World as the ‘world’s craziest and most worthwhile’ marathon, Street Child’s Sierra Leone Marathon is the only marathon in the world where runners are united behind the same fundraising goal and have the opportunity to meet the children they are fundraising to support. Runners brave 30 degree heat and 90 percent humidity to complete the race.

The Sierra Leone Marathon 2016 was the first one to take place in the country after Sierra Leone was officially declared Ebola-free. The funds raised are helping the country’s poorest children and orphans as they recover from the Ebola outbreak.

During Ebola, a lack of education and a slow response meant almost 4,000 people died from the virus and 12,000 children were left orphaned. As the country continues its recovery, UK charity Street Child has been working hard to support those impacted to rebuild their lives, with a particular focus on the children who were orphaned by the crisis, ensuring they are given the opportunity to go to school and receive a quality education. Street Child has helped 20,000 Ebola-impacted children in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Street Child CEO Tom Dannatt explains: “2016 was our fifth Sierra Leone Marathon and year after year we have had such fantastic support from UK runners. This event has raised over £1.5 million to help some of the world’s poorest children over the five years and I’m really proud of what our runners have achieved.

The Sierra Leone Marathon launch party is a great way to celebrate all that has been made possible through the marathon and these spectacular photos capture the essence of the race and its impact. We’re really excited to be launching the 2017 Sierra Leone Marathon which we hope will be bigger and better than ever, showing the people of Sierra Leone that we have not forgotten them and that we will continue to stand with them in the recovery from Ebola and to help their children have a brighter future.”