Kilimanjaro Marathon

The Kilimanjaro Marathon is Tanzania's flagship road race, run annually since 2003 in the town of Moshi at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. A full member of AIMS, the event has grown into a festival of roughly 11,000 runners across the full marathon, half marathon, and 5K fun run. The course starts and finishes at the MoCU (Moshi Co-operative University) Stadium: marathon runners face a tough, relentless climb for the first 8-10 km toward the mountain's foothills, gaining roughly 290 meters, then descend on a long downhill stretch back through Moshi town to the stadium. Along the way the route weaves through local villages, banana and coffee plantations, patches of forest, and a short dirt-road section, with Kilimanjaro's snow-capped peak visible for much of the climb when skies are clear. Local villagers line the route to cheer, and the atmosphere on race Sunday is described as a genuine community celebration rather than just a race. The event is a popular bucket-list add-on to Kilimanjaro climbs and Tanzanian safaris.