The post Amongst the Cocoa Trees: The Rise of Trail Running in Côte d’Ivoire appeared first on iRunFar.

[Editor’s Note: This month’s Community Voices article was written by iRunFar reader and runner, Seth Luxenberg, who works for the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not reflect the views of the U.S. Government.]

I’m 10 kilometers into a 15k race in western Côte d’Ivoire. I’m starting to fade as the humidity is around 80%, although thankfully it’s not as hot as a typical race in tropical Côte d’Ivoire, as we are running in the hills surrounding the iconic “Tooth of Man” mountain. A farmer walking in the opposite direction on the same path offers me a fresh mango from his sack. I’m not sure why, but I say “no.” Turning down that mango is my biggest regret from this race, but I certainly don’t regret coming to western Côte d’Ivoire to run on farm paths between mango trees and cassava farms.

In 2021, a group of Ivoirian friends came up with the idea for the Ivoire Trail. I recently sat down with three of these friends, Judith Bidy, Kangoute Saindou, and Claver Gballou, to discuss this project’s origins, challenges, and accomplishments. They weren’t trail runners, just a group of young professionals who liked sports and noticed that there weren’t any organized trail races in West Africa between South Africa and Senegal. As Ivoirians, they know that their country is covered in paths that are perfect for trail running.

Much of the country is covered in small farm plots, usually around three to five acres. Côte d’Ivoire is mostly known for cocoa, as it produces around 40% of the world’s supply (although that supply is threatened by irregular rainfall due to climate change), but there are plenty of cassava, rubber, and palm farms to run through as well. Naturally, farmers have created paths to get to their farms and these paths make the perfect courses for trail runs.

The group of friends started organizing races on these paths through the villages in 2021. They organize nearly one race per month, and they are yet to repeat a course or even return to the same village. I’ve participated in seven races and every time there is something new: a herd of cattle going the opposite way, a series of challenging stream crossings the morning after a hard rain, a farming family surprised to see us miles from any village, or a farmer offering a fresh mango.

Most of the races are within an hour’s drive of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital. However, every year the organizers try to host a marquee race somewhere else in the country. Last year’s was in western Côte d’Ivoire circling the “Tooth of Man.” Future marquee races could be in national parks or target interesting parts of the country.

The first race in 2021 attracted around 50 participants and they have grown steadily since then — the October 2024 race had around 300 participants. It’s a diverse group too, with around five to 10% Ivoirians, but lots of people from elsewhere in Africa, especially Morocco and Tunisia, as well as large groups from France and Lebanon and small groups from other countries.

It takes a lot of work to organize these races. These volunteer organizers need to develop the courses, set up aid stations in remote areas (they provide wages for around 30 people per race), and in this age of social media, take photos of the participants. The aid stations have fruit and water and are usually at points along the course that can be accessed by motorcycle. My favorite part of every race is the ice-cold local juices served at the finish line: Ivoirian spins on hibiscus, lemon, ginger, and tamarind.

It’s been a pleasure to watch this cool, scrappy organization create a new course nearly every month, and improve their organization each time. The payoff is fantastic. Racing amongst the cocoa trees; what could be better?

Call for Comments

Have you run in Côte d’Ivoire? How was your experience?

Amongst the Cocoa Trees: The Rise of Trail Running in Côte d’Ivoire by Guest Writer.