Message from the Race Director

22 August 2010

Hello, everyone.

We hope all training and traveling arrangements are falling nicely into place for your participation in the 4th annual Accra International Marathon, Half Marathon & Team Relay, which is now just 5 weeks away (Sunday, 26 September).

Once again, Golden Beach Hotels is supporting us with preferential discounted rates at all their hotels in Ghana. Their flagship hotel, La Palm, is within easy strolling distance of our Finish Line, and we will provide free shuttle service from that hotel to the Start Line. To get the preferential rates, you should tell them you are participating in the Accra International Marathon.

Please use these links—full—half—to check out the Google satellite or earth views of our beautiful course. With the changes to our route this year, we’ve moved closer to our ultimate beach-to-beach course, which would start at Ningo, south of our current Start Line and progress almost interrupted to the current Finish Line. (Some impediments may prove more intractable than others. :-) With continued hard work and some luck, we may be able to add more ocean views for our 5th anniversary event next year.

Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Roads and Transport, the Department of Urban Roads, Maritime University and the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly, we will be able to avoid the least attractive parts of the route and close off parts of the most congested stretches to vehicular traffic.

We have already taken delivery of the first installment of safe drinking water from Voltic, our sponsor of natural mineral water, so all events should start on time. The full marathon will start at 0535hrs, five minutes after the signal for the relay goes off. The half marathon, which is a competitive run as well as a non-competitive walk, will start at 0600hrs.

We would like to fly the flags of all the participating countries at the half-way point and at the Finish Line. Please let us know as soon as possible if you can lend us the use of your native or adopted (however temporarily adopted :-) home country. We need Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Japan, Kenya, La Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Sweden, Togo, UK and US.

Those wishing to do approximately 10k only can form a relay team, or ask us for assistance in matching them with other would-be team members.

There will be at least 15 water and/or aid stops, some with electrolyte replacement drinks. And, plenty of fresh coconuts, other drinks, fruits and food at the Finish line. Please keep checking our website for details.

Regards!
AIM Race Mgmt Team
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