This is a picture of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is located in Tanzania and is the highest mountain in Africa. It is also considered the tallest “free standing mountain in the world”. Here is a map of where it is located. What I found most interesting about this mountain however is that it is the home to the annual Kilimanjaro Marathon. The website I found tells all the details of the race and includes pictures and videos of past marathons. Here is the link to the website. In addition to the marathon, there is also a half marathon and a 5k race. The races begin in the city of Moshi.
The runners that participate in the race are from all over! The website says that many of the best runners come from Kenya and Tanzania. However, participants come from other places in Africa and all over the world. There are also people who simply climb the mountain instead of running in a race.
What I thought was so cool about this the fact that it is an event that brings people from all over the world together, from every continent. This week the class discussion has been a lot about myths of Africa and how many people view the entire continent as a place that has fallen behind. However, I thought this was a perfect example of an event that takes place in Africa yet is exactly like one you would find in the United States. (Except for the location of the mountain of course). And not only is it similar, it is a very famous, competitive, marathon and often a desired destination for many athletes. Whether the runners are from Kenya or America they can understand each other through the language of running.
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